The Legend of Zelda: Sorrow of Silidan
by Knight on Bald Mountain
Summary: Chapter 34 is up. For those that are new, 'Sorrow of Silidan' is a serious, yet not too dark, story where Link and his allies must face their own fears. Only by working together will they overcome this new and powerful foe. This is also POSSIBLY a LinkxAshei story. Check my profile for updates.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

He should have seen it. He should have noticed the change when he crossed the bridge, but he was too late. He was too excited about returning home, and he was too late.

Ordon Village was burning. It wasn't the bulblins this time either. These were much more human in stature. Link could tell by the tracks they left, but they were long gone by now.

_Why did this have to happen_? Link thought to himself. It only became more difficult when he found the bodies. They weren't simply left in the spots they were killed in, but placed in a pile and set on fire. Somebody wanted him to see the destruction. Somebody wanted him to suffer. They were carefully placed too, so that each face was staring out of the pile. He could still recognize several of them. Bo stood out the most, but he could even see Talo and Malo. What was worse was the Ilia was not in the pile. She wasn't anywhere to be found.

Link prayed that it meant she was alive, but he also feared the suffering she could be going through. He needed to find her, and there was not a moment to lose. Still, he could not disrespect the dead. He would need to bury them first, and he would need help if he was to do it quickly.

Link sent his horse, Epona away with a note. She had grown accustom to traveling without her master while he had other things to attend to, so she made haste to the place she was trained to go, Telma's Bar. Hopefully, his friends would be able to help him finish up here. If not, then Ordon's killers would go unpunished.

Link found it very difficult to pull the burnt, decomposing bodies out of the pile. Every time he pulled another one away, he'd see their face, and his throat would close up. He did all he could to stay strong, but he knew it'd eventually come out. He needed to hold on. Showing weakness now would only strengthen his new foes. He must show his courage now just as he had done slaying Ganondorf.

It was the anger inside him, however, that was really putting him on edge. Every time he pushed the shovel into the soft, farm dirt, he did so with more force than the last. Then he hit a rock, and it all backfired, as his grip slipped and caused him to fall. Link rose back up, examining his hands covered in dirt, grime, and sweat. He was pushing himself too hard. It was becoming obvious that he would not be able to bury everyone in peace before the murderers' trails went cold.

"LINK!" A distant effeminate voice hung in the air. For a moment, he thought it was Ilia, but as the voice got closer he noticed the darker tone of it. That belonged to the warrior-woman, Ashei. She was rushing over to him as fast as she could. Wearing heavier armor made her stretch seem longer, but she was conditioned for far worse situations. As soon as she reached him, Link noticed others behind her. Auru had Epona's reigns in one hand and his note in the other. Rusl was farther behind, but it was obvious that he wasn't quite strong enough to look. He may not have known it yet, but he'd just lost his wife and two children in the attack.

"We saw the smoke," Auru said as he approached. Link grunted, wishing he hadn't been so absent-minded. "I knew you were heading over here, but we wanted to make sure everything was okay."

Link tried to smile in appreciation, but it was impossible. He simply nodded in acknowledgement before turning back to his work. Ashei had begun to do the same, helping move the bodies so that he could bury them. Shad finally made an appearance studying the scene, and trying to make sense of it all.

"Who could have done this?" Shad started to ask. "It doesn't make any sense at all. Why destroy this village? There was nothing of significan-"

Auru nudged him along his shoulder, reminding to choose his words carefully. He tried again. "There wasn't a vast amount of resources that these ruffians would want."

"The nature of man does not always make sense." Auru guided Shad over to assist with the burials. "They might not even be hylian for that matter."

The heat was really beginning to get to Link. He needed to rest, but he had no time for it. He continued shoveling dirt out for the new graves. But within a couple of minutes, he collapsed, exhausted and dehydrated. Shad being the closest tried to catch him, but found himself falling alongside of him. Ashei grabbed her water pouch and gave it to Link. He drank it slowly, realizing that he was done working. The others would stop him if he'd tried to get up again. His strength had finally left him.

"We'll get Rusl to take your place." Auru said. "He needs to overcome his anguish just as you did." Link appreciated the small praise he was given, but he still could not show it. He simply laid there, resting and drinking. He had seen tragedies before, but they always had happy endings. This...what happiness and good can come from death?

Their death.

Link was familiar with revenge, but it was never the fuel in his veins. His was a more somber tone, rarely letting his emotions dictate his actions. Yet, something inside him was trying to twist his decisions. It was like a knot in his throat, and it needed a release. He tried his best to hold it in, but it only became more painful. He soon didn't have a choice.

Link began to cry. At first it was in small tears, but it soon felt like rivers drifting down his face. As soon as he let it flow, the emotions began to consume him. Pain, anguish and sorrow. They all began to cloud his judgment until he finally passed out under the sun.

* * *

Everything was hazy for Link as he slowly awoke to find himself next to the Ordona Spring. His friends, realizing he'd passed out, moved him there in hopes that it would rejuvenate his strength. It worked, but it actually took longer than they'd anticipated. Now they were circled nearby a small campfire, discussing something he could not hear.

Link pulled himself up. At this point, he noticed that night had finally come, and they were already losing much time if they were to follow the pillagers. He slowly made his way over to the others. Shad noted his recovery first.

"Link! I'm glad you're okay. Please sit. We have much to discuss." Link did so obediently. Auru, being the elder, continued the discussion. "Since these raiders are from outside of Hyrule, Queen Zelda said she will be unable to send troops after them."

"But they attacked Ordon Village! Do we not pay tribute every year to the castle?" Rusl was clearly infuriated as well about the situation.

"I'm sorry, but Ordona is a territory, and not actually part of Hyrule. There are lots of politics that go into it. Which means if we want to catch them, we will have to go ourselves."

"Besides," Ashei inputted. "After the Shadow Invasion, we've been short on troops; good ones in particular. Going in with a small group will help us to appear less threatening to those we encounter."

Shad now was getting nervous. "Uh, do we have to go into _that_ kingdom? It's not the nicest place to be. I mean, isn't that why we don't commerce with them?"

"Ugh! Do you _really_ have a problem with that?" Ashei glared at Shad as if to freeze him. "I don't think it'll be a problem for our hero here, at least. He did practically save all Hyrule by himself."

Auru didn't like where this was going. Shad and Ashei got into fights far too often, occasionally exploding into brawls leaving Shad with either bruises or on a rare chance, a broken bone. "Link has done a great job in the past, but this is something we are all doing together. I want to emphasize the teamwork necessary to accomplish this so that we won't have to rely on him every time."

Link just sat back. He wasn't to thrilled how Auru referred to him almost as if he wasn't even there. But the argument only heated up more when Shad piped in again. "What if we can't find them? It's a whole new world over there. All we have is a two hundred year old map. Who knows what changes have been made since then? Who knows if-"

"That's enough Shad!" Auru was losing control of the situation. "We must try. Those men have slaughtered an entire village, and we cannot let them go unavenged!"

"That's right, we must avenge them all!" Rusl exclaimed, already brainstorming on how to catch the bandits. "Now we might need some disguises. They'll recognize us as outsiders and may be less likely to help us. They might even attack us."

"No point." Ashei popped in this time. "We simply don't know enough about the kingdom to even pretend we're from it. Speaking of which, does anyone even remember what it's called?"

There was silence for a couple seconds. "Koholint?" Shad asked.

"What kind of kingdom would call itself Koholint?" Ashei replied, just before bopping him on the head.

"It's called Silidan." That was Rusl, finally speaking. "But that's about all I know."

"Well if that's it, then there's no point discussing the issue further." Auru took control again. "We will leave tomorrow just after dawn. We're going to need a lot of rest if we are to travel to Silidan."

The others nodded, Shad looked as if he was about to speak again, but Ashei gave him that glare again, and he declined before he even began. Everyone prepared themselves for a short rest, but Link was not inclined to do so. Already well-rested, his choice was to watch the campfire slowly burn. He watched all the others crawl into their sleeping bags before drifting asleep. Rusl was about to do the same, placing his bag furthest from the fire, but he stopped to look up at Link.

"Link, are you going to be all right? You haven't spoken a single word since we got here."

Link murmured to himself before replying. "I'll be okay. What about you?"

"I'm . . . recovering. Slowly, that is. It's just so unexpected. My wife and kids gone in an instant. I . . . I have to put it behind me if I'm going to be able to face the ones who did this." Link nodded. He knew that he was going to need to do the same, but something was making it harder for him. Maybe it was his youth, but it was telling him to ignore all reason and just go after the murderers himself. He needed to resist the temptation. He needed to let it go.

Link had learned early in his adventure when Ilia and the kids were kidnapped that his emotions made him irrational. He made more mistakes, he had more faults in his stance. With experience on his side, his opponents never stood a chance. Now, they had not only taken what he held most dear, but had slaughtered everyone else. She might be alive, but she could just as easily be dead. That was what was killing Link; the thought that she might be dead just like the others. No, she wasn't found with the others, but it was not very assuring, knowing that she was now a full-grown woman, and was more pleasant to look at to others. It's possible she was being terrorized by the brutes before they decide to finish her.

"Link? Did you hear me?" Rusl was trying to get his attention again. Link must have begun dozing off as well, despite his earlier reluctance. "I said this will all turn up. We're going to make things right."

Link sighed. He only wished it were true, but the depression was not letting up. He decided to sleep with the rest of them. He thought that it may perhaps help him keep his mind off of everything. He closed his eyes and dreamed of the times he had spent with Ilia. Eventually, a smile came over his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The morning sun took longer to rise as it seemed to take falling, almost as if it didn't want to wake up. Nobody seemed to want to do it either, except for Auru. Being older, he seemed to have the uncanny ability to wake up before everyone else. As such, he made it his job to wake everyone else with an uninvited kick with his boot. First he woke Rusl, then Link, followed by Ashei. He gave Shad a moment before doing the same with him, but as expected, he complained.

"You really don't have to be so violent." He moaned, clutching his barely, if even, bruised side. "You could have just woken me up like a normal person."

"What do you want me to do? Lean over and ask you to wake up?" Auru was not in the mood for Shad's whining this morning.

"Well . . . no. But a kick is _not_ necessary to get my attention."

"Oh, just knock it off." Ashei said, grabbing his arm to pull him up. "And stop rubbing it like it hurt."

Link let a grin escape his face again. It was almost like a comedic team, Shad and Ashei. He knew Shad wasn't always so prissy. He proved it several months ago when confronted by a drunken soldier in Telma's Bar. That guy learned the hard way that you can't judge a man by his looks. Shad didn't hate violence, he just disliked pain, which made him a great foil for Ashei.

That woman had always been aggressive. Ready to fight any comers, her reputation had already begun to grow that she was stronger than all the knights in Hyrule; put together. The latter was of course mere rumors and overdeveloped stories, but she too, had a softer, almost girlish, side to her. She just rarely knew how to express it. Link specifically recalled a time down in Lake Hylia where she refused to ride the cannon, but once nobody was looking, snuck in and gave it a go, as if they couldn't tell when a giant cannon shoots somebody to the top of the lake.

"You know what?" Ashei asked, now addressing Link. "One of these days, we should take Shad to that fortune-teller, yeah? If we slip her a couple rupees, you think she can say something to him that will make him want to be a man?"

"I heard that."

"Good."

"If you're both done bickering, I prepared breakfast. " Auru intervened again, hoping to keep the two off each others backs for as long as possible. "Eat fast, too. I want to leave as soon as we're done, and I expect Link and Rusl would appreciate it as well."

Shad could have gone longer, but Ashei's mind was clearly on her stomach, and when it growled, she let her petty quarrel go and sat down. As she did, she also pulled out a pair of envelopes. One was already opened, the other she just began to do so. Shad and Auru paid her no heed, but Link couldn't help but notice the expression on her face slowly change from her normal scolding-smug look to a sort of depressed-guilty one. Link would have asked her about it, but he felt it was not the best time to speak. Instead, he continued to eat his food.

The fruits and vegetables surrounding the now-slumping village were the only things left edible within the forest. As such, breakfast simply consisted of boiled vegetables and whatever food they had already packed with them. Link did his best to hurry, but he found himself too distracted as he thought about Silidan: a new land to explore and search. Link thought back to his earliest memories, when he was forbidden to enter the forest that led to Hyrule. How he yearned for the day he could leave and see the whole grand world out there.

He also remembered being told to never try to enter the dense forest behind Ordona because it lead to a land of sorrow. It intrigued him, but at the time, he chose to set his eyes on Hyrule. It was a good choice too. It was the land where he had a tremendous adventure. Now he needed to leave it behind. He was going to Silidan and save the one he loved, if she was still alive.

_If_ she was still alive. Link had not realizing how pessimistic he was becoming. He needed to think positive. The more he thought about it, however, the less he believed in himself. _How does that work_? Link pondered silently. _Was defeating the man who defied the goddesses not enough that I can't trust myself to save a girl? _My _girl_?!

He knew he was loosing it again. He just needed something to keep him off the subject again. Good thing Auru was trying to get his attention. "Link, let's get going."

Link looked back up and snapped his head back and forth. Seeing the others were already mounting up on their horses, Link finally realized how much Ilia was occupying his mind. He needed to talk to someone. Perhaps someone else could help him relax his nerves, but he couldn't open up to anyone yet. He would just wait until the opportune moment.

Link mounted his horse and took the rear of the trail, taking every chance he could to look back at what was left of Ordon Village. He recalled all the days he used to run and play in that village and working on the ranch. He then remembered the nights, watching the waters of the spring shimmer brightly, and that one time in the barn with Ilia. He kept all these memories close, and though he might not experience them again, he would treasure them all.

Hours passed as they trudged slowly through the woods. It was taking much longer than Link had anticipated, but seeing as none of them had any clue how long it was going to take, he blamed only himself for expecting so much. He had hoped that something would happen soon, but what finally did ensue was not what he had in mind.

Ashei's horse stumbled before wavering and falling to the ground. It was not a graceful fall, and it sent Ashei rolling off several yards before scrawling back to her feet. Shad of course, had a good chuckle at the matter, while Auru quickly jumped off his horse to see if she was okay.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Ashei was not proud of her thoughtlessness. But it was only more embarrassing when they found out what happened.

"Your horseshoe." Auru said aloud, pointing out the front-right hoof of her horse. "I thought you were going to replace it when we reached Kakariko?"

Ashei began to blush. It wasn't like her to make such simple mistakes. As such, she wasn't sure what to say. The only response she could think to do was to walk away. Link had a feeling what was on her mind, but he was curious to know for sure what it was. It was a good thing that Auru could read his mind. "Link, go ahead and bring her back."

He didn't even bother to respond as he followed Ashei into a separate section of the woods. She was leaning against a tree looking up at a break in the branch-lines. The light shone on her face, showing it to be much more pale than it was a moment ago. Link, not being too good of a conversationist, simply tried to get her attention. "Ashei."

She turned her head to him, but that was all she did to acknowledge him. He figured she'd be hard to break open, but at the very least, they needed to keep moving. He tried again. "Ashei, we need to get back. If it's about the horse, we can't do anything to fix it now. Besides, no one will know about it."

He knew it wasn't the horse. Something in those letters was clearly preoccupying her, just as Ilia was preoccupying him, but he hoped it would at least make her more vulnerable. It worked, but only partially. "Can it still carry me?"

"I don't know, but it's not a big deal." He paused a moment. Perhaps he should keep talking. "Look Ashei, we all make mista-"

"Of course," Ashei interrupted. "But it's one I shouldn't of made!"

Ashei sighed briefly before starting up again. Maybe it did work. "Look, I'm no person to try and be all touchy-feely, yeah? I have some problems back home and it doesn't concern you."

Ashei continued to walk past him until she reunited with the others. Link slowly sauntered back, his curiosity towards the contents of the letters only increasing. If it was trouble back home, then it could only be her father. Link recalled seeing her father briefly in the past, but he seemed so caring for his daughter. He thought he even detected Ashei squeal slightly at the sight of her old man, not to mention that she clearly was resisting the urge to simply jump into his hands as if he was to hold her like a baby.

Regardless, Ashei was right. It was none of his business, and he wasn't going to pry her anymore. Link returned to the others and remounted his horse. Ashei's horse had broken its leg on the fall. As such, Link thought to offer her a ride, but she seemed quite fine with leading the horse on foot. Link only hoped that the forest was coming to an end.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The sun was beginning to shine brighter, and the leaves covering it faded as the forest slowly parted for the five travelers. It was clear that they had only a little further to go before they reached what was beginning to look like a small town, probably the size of Kakariko. Link was glad to see civilization again. The forest always had a dark feel to it that made one desire to get out, and Link was no exception to such feelings.

Within another half hour, they were inside the town. Auru checked the map again to see if he could name the village. It wasn't there, making it much more painfully obvious that an updated map was needed. Luckily for them, there was an inn on the far side of the village with a tavern inside. Provided there was any traffic going through, there was bound to be plenty of information they could gather. Link only hoped that they wouldn't draw too much attention upon entering the tavern.

He should have known better. The moment they approached the bar, all eyes were on them. Link noted how all the people sitting wore a generic brown garb, similar to that of Ordon, but it lacked the gruffness that came from ranching. There was also a style about it that was clearly not of hylian standard. He also noticed the way they all stared at their ears, the distinguishing feature that separated hylians from humans. He expected it to happen, but the overall vibe was definitely not a friendly one.

"It's not often we have visitors." The barkeep seemed to be the only one who didn't care who they were outside of just 'customers'. "What'll it be?"

Shad was the first to approach the bar. "Whatever your specialty is, we'll each have one."

The barkeep nodded before turning his back to bring up his unique brew. Link didn't particularly enjoy it when Shad ordered drinks, especially when they had no idea what it was they were about to have. Still, he chose not to make any comment. He would simply accept the drink and slowly sip away at it.

It was surprisingly quiet in the tavern. Link was beginning to suspect that someone would eventually get up and-

"You know, we stopped talking with yah, long-ears for a reason!" There it was. A loudmouthed buffoon just decided to throw his two rupees worth. Although Auru usually handled these deals, Shad must have been feeling extremely good, because he retorted right back.

"Yes, it was because yours were too short to understand us."

Rusl simply shook his head in dismay. Shad had really done it. He couldn't have just talked back to the yapper; he had to insult the entire Silidan nation. Very unwise. However, it seemed that the basic feel indicated that everyone knew it was all just a ruse to get the idiot to do something stupid. It was pretty clear to Link that they all didn't like him anyway and didn't care even if it took a foreigner insulting the entire kingdom to get rid of him.

"Whatja say, four-eyes?"

"What _did_ I just say? Didn't you here me, or are you _really _as short of hearing as you are of ears?"

The drunkard approached the small man. His figure was very broad, and made an imposing stance, but Shad could smell the alcohol and knew that he was far too intoxicated to do anything. He continued to chide his feeble-minded opponent, hoping he would call him out. If there was one time where Shad absolutely preferred violence over reason, it was when dealing with drunks. Maybe he had just grown used to drunks not being able to be reasoned with, but he never minded showing them what he was not normally made of.

"I heard ya, but I'd just like to make sure before I pummel you through 'dish bar."

"Very well, then. I said it was because _your_ ears,_ specifically _yours for clarification, are too short to even _begin_ to understand the philosophies and the complexities that we who have long ears have developed. Was that about right?"

The burly man didn't bother to respond. Instead, he pulled back his right arm for a furious cross punch against Shad's jaw. The smaller hylian, seeing him prep such a serious blow, simply stepped to the side and let the punch swing through the air. The man must have expected nothing less of contact because he had put his full body weight into it, causing him to follow through the empty space that Shad had just so previously occupied.

When he hit the ground, it was his own jaw that received the large lump. He tried to massage it as he stepped back up, but it only made him more conscious of the pain there. Shad simply smiled smugly at his foe, but the man just couldn't find the words that he seemed to easily form moments before he fell. Embarrassed by his short-comings, he left the inn in an uproar, shouting whatever obscenities could come to his mind.

For a moment, silenced enveloped the room, but then Shad turned back around to the barkeep. "I trust our drinks are now ready?"

The barkeep nodded, tossing them down the bar to each of Shad's friends. The scholar graciously grabbed his own and drank about half of it one long gulp. His companions began to swig their own, and the others in the bar resumed with their normal banter.

It took a couple of moments, but Link finally was able to feel relaxed in this town. He was truly surprised at the overall atmosphere, expecting much more hostility from all around. Perhaps it was just because this place was so close to Hyrule that they still saw them as brothers (with long ears of course). He also took a moment to ponder if the drunk's retort was any indication to what the rest of Silidan would be like. Needless to say, he would find out soon enough.

"I'm surprised." Ashei surmised. Link turned his head toward the woman. He thought she was thinking the same as he, but she was clearly more interested in the beverage she now had finished. "This is a _really_ good drink, yeah? Is this imported from your capital?"

The barkeep turned his head to her and smiled. "Actually, no. That is a local brew of ale. Quite contrarily, we sometimes even export it."

"It truly is an amazing brand." Shad was sharing sentiments with Ashei on this. But now he was curious of other things. "I must be honest with you, Mr. . . ."

"Seirva." The barkeep finished. "Don't bother with the 'mister' either. I ain't no noble."

"Very well Seirva. I am very surprised at your generosity to us. Are all Silidan natives the same?"

Seirva chuckled. "Not in the slightest. I guess I'm just a happy kind of guy. These other fellows," he pointed at the other patrons, "probably only soften because they see you're armed. Most people round this area that carry weapons are either rogue knights or of a noble's manor."

The utterance of rogue knights began to perk up interest with the others, but Rusl was faster to the punch. "Rogue knights, you say? Have any passed through here recently?"

"You guys mercenaries?" Rusl shook his head. "In that case, yeah. I've seen some pass through. They looked pretty full of themselves too. Most of the ones around here tend to acquire that look after a raid. Thing was they didn't look like they got anything out of it."

"Do rogue knights normally come through here?" Auru inquired, curious as to why this town was spared. It was clear that Seirva understood the older man all too well. "You just tasted our special brew. It's loved throughout ALL the land. That includes those vagabonds. Not to mention that most of them are more interested in fighting the 'oppressive regime'."

Link had other questions he wanted answered. "You say they had nothing to show for their raid? Not even a captive?"

Seirva paused for a moment and scratched his overgrown, graying beard. "I didn't see anyone, but they did pass through pretty fast. No knowing if they had any slaves, but I wouldn't be too surprised if one had slipped my notice. My eyes have been failing me these recent years."

The table was swirling with questions wanting to be answered, but Auru once again tried to take charge. "Do you have any ideas where they may be going?"

Seirva once again paused to scratch his beard. It seemed to be a ritual in order to produce heavy thoughts. "They honestly could be anywhere, but I'll tell you something. The capital is hosting a fair and tournament tomorrow. All manner of knights go, even some of the lord-less horseman. Provided they submit a banner, they can enter the competitions. You might want to look there."

"Thank you, Seirva, but as you may have noticed, we are new here. We honestly don't have any idea where your capital is or anything for that matter in Silidan. Might you make some adjustments on our map here?"

Seirva smiled as he leaned over to point out the details. Link admired the man. Even amongst strangers, he was kind and willing to aid them in almost everyway. He began to wonder if it was all a façade, an act to lull their senses before they were thrown in a prison for being foreigners. Yet, something in Seirva's eyes indicated otherwise. He was a good man, pure and simple.

Auru thanked Seirva again and was about to pay for the drinks, but not before he was rudely interrupted. "Hey, long-ears!"

Five sturdy men, one being the drunk, had made their way inside the bar. They clearly weren't here to celebrate, and Link thought about drawing his sword, but since they lacked weapons of their own, he figured it would be unwise.

"I see you brought some friends!" Shad stammered out as he stomped towards them. Why he persisted in pushing these men, Link could not determine. Then he noticed the mild stagger Shad made as he approached his former foe. Was he already drunk off this stuff? He knew that Shad didn't take strong brews well, and this drink certainly was strong, but it couldn't have happened that fast. "Do they wish to lose in disgrace as well?"

Auru put a warning hand on Shad, having moved up in an attempt to prevent further violence. "Shad don't antagonize him. We don't want to make any trouble with the-"

"I've heard 'nough of y'ur words, long-ears!" Link still didn't understand what about them having long ears was upsetting the man, and he found it odd to be the choice of racial slander. "My friends an' I wanted to thank you an' repay the favor for the bruise you gave me."

His 'friends' inched closer to them, there intentions more than clear, and no amount of talking would prevent that. In response to their aggressive stance, both Rusl and Ashei also sauntered closer to protect their companion.

"If memory serves me correctly, you gave that one to yourself." Shad pressed a finger on the man's chest, his head bobbed slightly. "Oh, I shudder to think on how bad your friends are!"

That did it. Shad's detest for violence had been overtaken by his detest for drunkards and his own half-drunkenness (the irony, Link thought), and had initiated the bar fight.

The drunk swung again at Shad, who chose to duck under. This time, the drunk did not swing so hard, so he did not fall forward. Instead he fell backward from the formidable punch that Ashei gave him a second later. At first, they were astonished at the woman's strength, but it was short-lived as two decided to tackle her to the ground. Auru picked one of them off her and threw him over a table which collapsed under him. Rusl was quick to join as well; setting up a long line of jabs and crosses at another laggard. This one, being of a larger size, didn't seem to care that he was getting punched. He waited, grinning at each failed strike. But just as Rusl was about to give up, he elbowed him in the gut, forcing the man to lean forward in agony. He then followed with an uppercut sending his opponent reeling on his back. He could have sworn he felt the earth move when he hit the ground.

Ashei was able to throw off the man still on her so she picked herself back up quite quickly. A different two seemed to have come to the conclusion that they could take her down as well, and charged her fiercely. She merely dropped back on the ground and swept their feet out from under them. At this point, Rusl grabbed one while Ashei dropped down and pinned the other between her legs. Auru was also occupying himself taking on another two brutes, but they seemed to only want to get behind him, where Shad was standing. Auru was able to stop one, but the other slipped past him before he could react.

Being the outspoken one, Shad slowly became the focus of the brute forces' attack. He often found himself ducking and dodging multiple punches, kicks, and occasional grapples. He rarely ever struck back, which ironically reinforced his anti-violent style, but it didn't seem to stop him from enjoying watching others fall. The rules of his code of course only apply in the most direct form, meaning as long as nothing violent happened to him, Shad could endorse violence all he wanted from others. Considering how close he had come to getting hit, he was probably wishing he had never started this in the first place, but there was really no stopping it.

The large thug had pulled himself back up and found Shad running blindly towards him. He took this opportunity to grab a hold of him, and lift him up off the ground. Shad, as expected, reverted to his normal self. "Uh, guys? A little help?" His luck looked like it had run dry. Ashei was beating one guy senseless. Rusl was holding his own off of one. Auru had just tossed one into another, proving that all were too busy to help their friend.

Link was still at the bar, slowly drinking his ale. As much as he would normally join a brawl, he just failed to see the point of this one. Rarely did he ever fight without probable cause, and five drunks being drunk was usually not one of his exceptions. Regardless, he didn't want to leave Shad hanging. He put his mug down and strolled over to the big man, whom was facing away from him. Link merely tapped him on his shoulder to get his attention. The only thing the man would remember was seeing a left fist coming straight into his face. Once Shad had picked himself up, he thanked him with a nod before taking Link's place back at the bar.

The others were clearly holding their own, but Link did not want this to drag on for too long. Slowly, he approached each brawler, giving them the same treatment he had given the large one. They each had the same reaction, falling to the floor unconscious. Auru was glad to let the young man take his load, but Ashei wanted to terrify her target, the original drunk, a little more before she let him to sleep. Rusl almost refused Link's help, as he continued to pound his target, which Link assumed was just him venting his rage.

With the laggards down, Link was ready to call it a day. Then he looked around and noticed the damage that had been done. The fight was so intense that four chairs had been broken and two tables split. He didn't even notice that all the other patrons had left during the fight, leaving it quieter than an evening in Ordon. Feeling responsible, Auru apologized to Seirva. "I'm terribly sorry for the damage we've caused."

"It's all right," the kind man exclaimed. "Those guys have been a bother on more than one occasion."

"At least let us help pay you back." Auru reached for his belt and opened his money pouch. Then he froze to a sudden thought of realization. He glanced back up at Seirva. "Silidan doesn't use rupees for currency, does it?"

Once again, the barkeep only chuckled, as if it was all fine. "I'm afraid not. We use a gold standard here. But if you truly wish to pay, I accept collateral."

Auru thought for moment before coming up with a solution. The five agreed to pay for the mess and drinks by cleaning up, and also agreed to pay for rooms for the night with a gold ring that Auru had. Ashei also gave her earrings she never wore for some standard currency, hoping they would not have to repeat the situation. It took another hour to clean up, but Link found it fun listening to all of Seirva's stories about the bar and the number of fights that had occurred over far less of a nuisance. Link really appreciated knowing such a nice person, and it only made him wish that the man lived in Hyrule. In the end, however, the evening turned out to be rather beautiful, since the sun actually was setting much more calmly than it had risen that very morning. It was only moments after they cleaned that they decided to each retire to their rooms. Link, for the first time since the burning of Ordon, was able to keep his mind off of Ilia.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It was probably the best dream he'd ever had. The only thing he could see was Ilia. Everywhere he looked, she was in view. First they were in Ordon Village, and then they were in Kakariko Town. The place constantly changed, but no matter what, she was there beside him, smiling. Not a word left her lips, yet her simple expression seemed to sum up all that words could ever reveal.

Link wanted to say something, anything, but his voice failed him. He wanted to just confess how much he missed her, how much he needed her, but most of all how much he loved her; but he couldn't do anything. He wasn't even sure if he was even smiling back at her. Despite all his attempts, he had no control over his dream. After a while, it stopped bothering him. Ilia's smile melted everything around him. All that was left in his world was her.

Unfortunately, she began to fade as well. Link called out to her, but again, nothing came out. He struggled, trying whatever he could to keep her, but it only made her fade faster. He was getting frantic, but then the unexpected happened. She spoke to him.

"Link."

That voice. Link could feel that voice throughout his entire body. It felt good, and it soothed his spirit. Ilia continued to fade, but he could still hear her voice.

"Link!"

It suddenly came to Link's attention that he wasn't hearing Ilia's voice. It was slightly deeper, with a rougher tone to it. That could only have meant . . .

"LINK!"

He opened his eyes to see Ashei standing over him. She looked slightly worried, but that did not concern Link. For the second time, he mistook her voice for Ilia's. He tore out of his bed in an outrage, cursing himself for being so foolish, not taking note of the woman in his room.

"Well, good morning to you too." The worried look was already replaced with that of a minor scold. "You mind explaining what's been eating you?"

Ashei was a bit more inquisitive than he liked at the moment. After refusing to talk about her problems, she expected him to do so? Not a chance. "No. I'll be alright."

She let out half a smile. "I can probably guess what it is regardless, yeah? Well, for what it's worth, Shad said you were tossing around like a rag doll and mumbling in your sleep. He wanted me to try and wake you. If you'll excuse me, I need to pound him for making me look like a fool."

Her exit was not a soft one. He could hear her armored boots clang all the way back downstairs to the bar. Link shook his head in dismay. He was really beginning to lose it. Every time he thought he was able to keep Ilia out of his mind, she found a way to creep back in, and it was getting worse. Something needed to be done, but he wasn't sure what. If anything, he needed help, but could trust his friends?

_Really?_ Link thought to himself. _I can't even trust my friends? Have I been so used to traveling alone that all of a sudden I can't trust the people who have helped me along the way?_

Link pondered this while he rejoined his companions. Even when he finally sat down, he wasn't sure what the problem was. Ashei was right. Something was eating him, and it was not letting up. Whether he liked it or not, he was going to have to fess up or it may not disappear.

The others either didn't notice the sullen look on his face, or they were ignoring it. Either way, they simply ate their breakfast while engaging in small talk, mostly about their plans for the next couple of days.

Auru had decided that they would head to the capital. The bartender said there were two different paths to get there. The first path was to go around the East Carnel Mountains and head south towards the city. It was a longer, but safer route. The shorter path was a small valley going between the center of the East and West Carnel Mountains. Due to its position, it was very easy for bandits to raid from. Despite the warnings, Auru had decided they would be heading between the mountains. Once again, he threw his fears away because of a certain, special hero in their midst.

As soon as they were finished eating, they mounted up (Ashei mounting with Auru since they let her horse go), and headed south. Within a couple hours they had reached the valley. As far as Link could tell, it was pretty empty. No signs of any large numbers traveling through it, and barely any signs of individuals daring the terrain. Regardless of all the cautionary tales, it seemed that their journey would be anything but perilous.

Since they would be traveling for several hours, Link decided that now was as good a time as any to try and talk to someone. The question was to whom? Shad wouldn't understand. Auru would be good, but Ashei was still riding with him, and he knew he didn't want to talk with her. That left Rusl. Probably the first and only logical choice and Link thought of him last.

Rusl was taking the rear this time, so Link slowed Epona down until Rusl caught up with him. Link was about to speak, but his obvious deviation from the form was enough for Rusl to know something was up. He spoke ahead of him. "Got something on your mind?"

Link sighed. Sometimes, he just felt like he was an open book, and that everyone could easily read him. Well, no need to disappoint. "I've been…having dreams about Ilia."

Rusl nodded, and even smiled. "I understand. I've been dreaming about my family every night since it happened."

There was an awkward silence. Link thought Rusl was going to say more, and in turn, Rusl assumed Link would continue. He really wasn't much of talker, and trying to express his feelings was a difficult thing to do. "I…don't know what to do. I mean…she could still be alive. But what if she isn't? If we hurried, would it actually matter or would it all be for naught? I mean-"

"Whoa, slow down! I know this is hard to talk about, but let's just tackle this problem one step at a time." Rusl exhaled before speaking up again. "If I'm not mistaken, you're basically just worried sick about her."

Link nodded and Rusl continued. "You know, this really isn't all that different from the last time Ordon was attacked, aside from…you know. I mean for you at least it isn't much different. Didn't you think about her then?"

"Yes. But this is different. It's like every time I think of her, I feel despair. I've never felt such emotions before. No matter what challenge I was facing, I always felt in control. I always felt like I could change everything." Link sighed heavily. He was starting to get use to everything. "Now, I feel like she is controlling me."

Rusl stifled a chuckle. "You've always been the adventurer, haven't you? Do you remember when you were smaller? You once climbed the big tree to bring down a bee hive. Things went pretty sour. You fell out the tree and hit your head, not to mention you had numerous bee stings. You were a tough little kid, refusing to cry out in spite of the tears you had in your eyes. Then Ilia came in and just started talking to you. It was as if you had forgotten all about the pain…until she left. Do you see where I am going with this?"

Link shook his head, so Rusl explained himself. "I know Ilia means a lot to you, and I know it's her that makes you feel better, but you have some peculiar tendencies. When something is on your mind, you can easily be distracted by the present. Perhaps if you think of something else, you'll be able to keep her off your mind. Worrying about her as much as you are isn't going to bring her back.

"Do you remember another time when you younger? Bo asked you to find Ilia for him and as you left to look for her, you were distracted by Fado who wanted you to tip goats with him? Same thing happened, you forgot about Bo and Ilia to go do something else."

Link turned his head back to the front as he began to ponder these things. Rusl was right. Though Ilia was dear to him, as long as he focused on the task at hand or something else in general, he could get through. Didn't make him feel better about Ilia, but it may help him forget should she not be alive. For the rest of the day of travel, he simply thought about fishing.

The mountains were treacherous, but to Link's surprise, they were not attacked by bandits. Whether this was by luck or by some other means was unknown, but it was greatly appreciated. They had enough drama from these last couple of days. However, when they reached the end of the valley and were about to enter the plains, Auru insisted that they stop for the night. He explained that although the bartender did not completely discourage traveling through the valley, he did advise not to travel the plains at night because of giant monsters. Link hoped that it was because he was done using him to do all the work and wanted to actually do what a normal group of people would do, but instead, it seemed that there was a hidden motive. He did not discuss it, but the way he looked at the three younger members of the group, it was obvious.

"Shad, you'll be on watch first." Auru stated as they set up camp. "We'll trade off every quarter moon. Choose whoever you wish to replace you when the time comes."

Shad was not fond of night watch, but he was glad he'd be getting it out of the way. Besides, it always gave him time to read. Reading while on horseback made him sick. As the others prepared to retire, Shad watched the sun creep past the mountains and slowly fade into darkness. The moon was quick to follow coming up, giving him enough light to read his historical novel of Hyrule. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Hey!" Shad shouted quite loudly, almost waking the others from their own blankets. "Wake up. It's your turn on watch."

Ashei stirred a little before she arose, shaking her head from side to side. She looked up at the person awaking her and gave him the nastiest look she could. Shad only smiled. He was done for the night, and she was up. There was nothing she could do to rectify the situation, so she simply accepted it as it was.

She took a moment to put on her protective armor, slowly ensuring that each leather strap was secured properly, giving her enough time to become fully aware of her surroundings. She then proceeded to test the bowstring of her handcrafted longbow. Link had a similar bow; its precision was unmatched, but hers could launch arrows far beyond the capabilities of his.

Once she felt awake enough, she leaned herself against a wall of rocks, watching her companions and listening to all her surroundings. She had sensed an air of dissonance before she had gone to sleep, and was surprised to see that no bandits had attacked while Shad was on watch. She found that to be most peculiar.

After only a couple of minutes, Ashei found herself already bored. She needed to keep busy. As such, she reached for her bag next to her blanket, checking carefully to ensure that Shad had not rummaged through it in her sleep. When she felt it was all good, she pulled out a paper and pen. She had not written back to her father since she received his last two letters, and she felt it was time to respond. Her words, although not displaying the air of caring, she poured her heart into it.

_Dear Father,_

_Sorry I can't be back home right now. There's some trouble down south, and I told the others I'd help them out. As soon as we're done, I'll come back to talk things over._

Ashei paused for a moment. She said all she meant for, but it felt incomplete. It felt empty. She continued in an attempt to elaborate on her feelings.

_I know things have changed recently. You know that I'm not trying to leave you personally. I've friends now. I've adventure. I've done more things within the last year than I've done in the last ten years. I'm sorry if you're upset, but I believe there is so much out there that I have to see. You know I enjoy each time I come home, but please, you've got to let me live my own life now._

She wondered if she was being a bit harsh. This letter probably would not make it back to her father for some time, but she hoped he would find it soon. She signed it and placed it back in her bag, sealing the letter to ensure the others would not open it. Just to be sure, she also placed her bag at the head of her blankets so that she could use it as a pillow once she was done watching for the night.

She had hoped that the letter would consume more time, but she couldn't draw it out any longer. She just wasn't capable of that type of writing style that Shad was so fond of. If anything, she was already beginning to tire out. She needed something to keep her wired and awake.

It seemed her silent prayers were answered.

A faint screech was heard coming from the plains. Perhaps these were the monsters that the silidians feared. If indeed they were, then she might find herself busy for the next couple minutes, wide awake for the rest of her watch.

Ashei leaned over a rock surveying the plains below. It took her a while to focus in the darkness, but she soon discovered the commotion. A lone horseman was heading towards the valley, and a giant boulder was rolling after him. What was strange about the boulder was that it didn't seem to have a place where it could have accelerated. The fact that the boulder was actually chasing the rider contributed to her suspicions as well.

The scene quickly unfolded as the horseman and boulder continued to reach the group. Slowly, Ashei began to notice some abnormalities about the boulder. It appeared to have spikes protruding from it, and what appeared to be a tail. Her suspicions were soon confirmed when the rider's horse tripped and fell. The boulder slowed its approach on its prey and unfolded. The boulder was now a giant lizard. An interesting mechanism it must have developed in order to pursue fast targets.

As the giant reptile approached, it seemed inevitable that the fate of the rider was set in stone, but Ashei was feeling a surge of energy; a sense of euphoria at the sight of danger, and she wasn't ready to leave a defenseless horseman to die at the hands of a beast.

Within a second, Ashei had prepped her bow and set the beast in her sights. Because of its size, she did not expect a regular arrow to affect the beast, so she aimed very carefully for the face with a small bomb attached to her arrow. The beast would have to open its mouth to consume its meal, and that would be when she'd fire. When the opportunity came, she let loose her arrow.

She missed only because the monster recoiled before it went to bite. As such, the arrow landed near one its front paws. It stopped the monster in its tracks, turning to see the new threat. The rider took its cue to run out of frame. Ashei had already prepared a new bomb arrow, but the monster now had a new target. It screeched loudly to let her know too. It reverberated in her ears, making her lose some balance. Once she recovered she saw that the beast was slowly making its way towards her. Being only 200 yards away, the creature seemed pleased with sauntering over, and not rolling up in a ball. Ashei took that as her cue to keep firing until the beast either was too close or was too discouraged. The valley was also too small for the massive beast to enter, but it could still diminish the distance until then, and Ashei wasn't ready to retreat either.

She constantly barraged the beast with her bomb arrows, but they continued to simply explode near harmlessly off its thick hide. She didn't want to waste all her arrows, so she stopped firing them and drew out her sword. She hopped lightly a couple times to keep herself limber, and stood in a defensive stance. She could feel the earth rumbling around her after each step the monster took. The beast drew back its head in preparation for a snapping bite. Ashei bent her knees and lowered her weight to prepare a jump. She was about to counter, but then they were interrupted.

The sound of Auru's bomb launcher pierced her ears. The bomb blast hit the monster's face, making it screech in agony. No serious damage, but enough to make it feel pain. Ashei turned back around to see the others awake and ready to assist, but after only one more bomb from Auru, the beast curled up and rolled away.

From a nearby rock, the now horseless rider began to approach the group. It turned out to be a young teenage girl, with dirty blonde hair that flowed past her shoulders. It surprised Ashei that such a young girl was riding, but she soon was able to accept it when she recalled how she tripped off her horse. Briefly she recalled her own travesty in the forest in Hyrule, but quickly tossed that aside.

"Thank you so much for saving me!" The girl was on her knees at Ashei. "You have no idea how scared I was!"

Ashei, caught off guard, was unsure how to reply. Normally, she wasn't the one people thanked. That was usually reserved for either Auru or Link. "Er, you're welcome?"

"Are you hurt?" Auru thoughtfully interjected. "Do you need a new horse?"

The girl shook her head. "Nuh, uh. I just need to give Priscilla a rest. We'll be okay in the morning."

Auru smiled and patted the girl on the shoulder. As the girl walked back down the camp back to horse, the others turned around to Ashei. The clearly thought she needed an explanation, but she wasn't sure what for. "You need something?"

Auru was a bit dismayed. "If you saw trouble, why didn't you inform us?"

"There wasn't time. You wouldn't want me to waste time, yeah? Besides, you heard the thing screech. It woke you up."

Auru was not convinced, but he was at least satisfied. "Well, at least you did what you thought was best. Next time, however, let someone know. They can wake the rest of us up while you act."

Ashei nodded. "Okay. I'll kick Shad in the gut and he'll wake the rest of you up, yeah?"

Shad was of course offended, but the others were glad that they reached an understanding. They went back to their places around the fire and tried to get some sleep. Ashei looked up at the moon. She still had a lot of time on watch left. She looked back down at the girl. She was at the very base of the valley, behind a rock with her horse. They apparently felt safe enough with Ashei on watch, but she wondered how long she would stay down there. Ashei smiled feeling good about what she'd done.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** After doing some studying on the main characters, I detected an anomaly in the basic heritage that determines who is hylian and who is human (in TP). While doing so, I have deduced that Ashei, although having regular ears in game, was supposed to have long ones (it only makes sense that she was BORN in Castle Town, and all natives of that town are hylian). As such, when I refer to her, she is hylian with long ears.

**Chapter 5**

Like a jewel underneath the sky, the capital of Silidan shined brighter than even the sun in the morning. Known by its inhabitants simply as the Diamond, it is no wonder why the humans of Silidan were so conceited when they had such a magnificent city to gaze upon. Link and the others were mesmerized at how it was able to shine despite being made of simple stone, but Seirva had explained to them before they had left the tavern yesterday that it was the magic of many wizards whom had helped in the Diamond's creation. So proud of their work, the wizards decided to use their magic to make it glimmer.

Even still, Link was not prepared for the sheer amount of self-love put into this place. Who knew a group of people could live in such prosperity thinking that they were the only ones that mattered in the world? He felt really overwhelmed for a moment, but after a couple of seconds, he regained his composure and prepared himself for the scenes to come.

Auru led the group up into the center square. Surprisingly, they did not draw as many eyes as they expected at first. The people amongst them were either too busy to notice, or were so snobby that they wouldn't believe their eyes if a group of hylians did actually come through their capital. It made Auru feel better about the situation, but he wasn't sure how long it would last. He knew they needed to make their move soon.

"Here's the plan: Rusl and I will head to the castle and try to receive an audience with their ruler. If you don't see us by the end of the day, assume that they have detained us. Ashei, don't bother rescuing us if that happens, I don't want to start a war between us and Silidan if we don't have to."

Ashei nodded reluctantly before Auru continued. "The rest of you just need to stick together. I recall Seirva saying something about a tournament being held. It might be dangerous to try it out, but we may be able to gain something from it as well, especially if the raiders have come to participate. Go if you choose, but again, only if you stick together."

"Don't worry about us. You just make sure you don't anger their lord, yeah?" Ashei was already winding up for the tournament, already sure that that was where they were going to go. Auru nodded one last time before departing with Rusl. Ashei then turned to her remaining companions. "Any objections?"

It was obvious what she wanted, as such Shad raised his hand. "Yes, I don't think fighting would suit me all that well right now."

Ashei rolled her eyes. "Well, depending on how things work around here, you shouldn't have to. You'll probably just look around for someone nice enough to give us some input about the tournament fighters. Me and Link and will handle the rest."

"Link and I." Shad corrected.

"What?"

"It's actually...you know what? Never mind. No point in arguing with some who wouldn't care."

Ashei turned back to Link. "You ready for this?"

Link grinned and replied. "Always."

Ashei smiled back. Knowing that the Hero of Hyrule was backing her always made battle easier. It made her hearken back to the day they stormed the castle to defeat the evil Ganondorf. Link was already way ahead while the rest of them were forced to take the long way up. It took some time for them to catch up and reach the throne room, but what they saw could only be described as horrendous.

Link had just destroyed a gigantic beast. It instantly decayed into nothing, and Link made his way to the princess, seeing how she was. It took only a couple seconds, but the beast had recuperated, turning into a giant flaming head. Another creature, taking the appearance of a large spider with a spear, attempted to destroy the monstrosity...and that was all she could remember. Everything after that was a blank. The next thing she recalled was the sight of Auru waking her up.

The very next day, a banquet was held in Link's honor. Ashei couldn't believe it. A ranch boy from the south, who had never fought a day in his life before the incident, had miraculously defeated the "King of Evil." That just seemed impossible...and yet, there they were, attending his banquet. The princess requested that Link assist as a bodyguard, but he declined. It just wasn't his way of life, but he did agree to assist in the rebuilding of Hyrule. Ashei and the others got to know Link better then, as he took ample time to explain the stories of his exploits. Never had she heard him speak so much in his life, but he seemed comfortable in telling them. She was never sure how much he exaggerated his exploits, but he indicated that he wasn't at all, which she of course found hard to believe.

Still, it was fun to listen. Now, here they were, actually on an adventure together in a foreign land that nobody of their kind had seen in over 200 years. Perhaps now she would see what he was truly capable of.

A sudden cheer of glee was heard by the three hylians, jarring their attention to the east. It seemed that there was an opening in the castle wall; perhaps where the tournament was being held. Ashei prayed that they were not too late to join in.

It turned out that it most certainly was the tournament as several armored figures began to fight in a most peculiar fashion. It was no competition they had ever seen before, but it definitely was interesting; keeping all of their eyes on the action in front of them. Although she was unsure what the game was about, she noticed that they all used blunted blades, so that their blows were not fatal, but still left an impact.

Ashei was clearly enthralled, Link noted, whereas Shad had found something else of interest: a strange creature of clear intellectual nature within the land of Silidan. He was astonished that the humans allowed such a creature amongst them, but he soon realized how awful they were treated when several of the human knights approached the bipod from behind and tripped it. They all laughed at the humiliation on the creature's face, which only angered Shad. Before Link realized what had just happened, Shad had already run to the rescue of the foreigner.

Shad huddled over the creature as he tried to help him to his feet. Being closer, Shad could now make out the features of this creature. It had red fur over its entire body, except for its back, which was covered in peculiar-looking black scales. The face was very long, kind of like the helmets of the zoras, but not quite so flat. The eyes were a bit smaller than one would expect on a creature of its bulk, which was about one and a half the size of a human. It didn't seem to have any hulking muscles, but it probably could have if it had been fed properly.

"What the hell are you doing?" One of the knights shouted at Shad. To emphasize his displeasure, he kicked him to the ground. "This is _our_ slave!"

The knights slowly circled Shad and the creature and began to close in. They seemed too focused on _who_ had just interrupted them to see _what _he was, but it wouldn't matter, as Link rushed his way over to assist his faltering friend. He did his best not to push the knights too hard so he would not start a fight, but it seemed that the soldiers were already too riled up to avoid. As soon as Link reached the center, the soldiers realized who they were.

"$*^#! These guys ain't human either! No wonder they're protecting the buko." The knights all grinned, as they all had the same brilliant idea. They were more than ready to beat up Link and Shad. Although Link easily could have beaten them, it was Ashei who came to their rescue.

"Hold up there!" Ashei came running down towards those knights. "These are my friends."

The knights began to laugh. "A _woman_, challenging us as well? What kind of backward kingdom did you all come from?"

"One that can kick your ass, that's where we're from." Ashei stated without a waver. Shad moved over to her, and tried to prevent a fight. "We don't want any trouble sirs, we-"

"Oh, come on!" One of the knights exclaimed as he ignored Shad and moved straight to Ashei; preparing to put his hand on her shoulder. "You can't fool me. You couldn't harm a fl- ACK!"

His advance was clearly a mistake, as he made his way back to the circle of knights clutching his now broken wrist. "Bitch! We needed him for the tournament! You're going to pay dearly for that!"

"Oh, am I? Well, I'm thinking that you couldn't even if you tried. Suppose we settle this in this here tournament?" Ashei challenged them, finally revealing her plan.

"And dishonor a traditional _human _tournament? Why should we?"

"So you can prove it to the rest of these airheads that you're 'better' than us, unless you're afraid that my friend over there," she indicated to Link, "and I would beat you."

The leader of the knights, a larger, bulkier man with a rugged red beard approached her. "You're on. But let's make this more interesting. Let's say you must compete in all the events. If you do better than us overall, then we'll give you a personal prize. If you don't, then you belong to us."

Ashei considered the possibility of defeat for a brief second. Being these knights' slave did not appeal to her, but she also had to defend the pride of Hyrule. "Okay, but we get to choose our prize."

The large knight nodded and they shook hands. "My Lord Terrance of House Widzan will be pleased to add some fine, young specimens to his collection."

Ashei grinned as maliciously as she could, hoping to intimidate the man, but it did not faze him. He brushed past her with the rest of his knights taking their slave with them. Link wasn't sure how to take the new task. Everything seemed to happen so fast to him, but he wasn't afraid of this. He knew he could fulfill his share, but could Ashei do hers?

"By the way," the knight called back to them. "The first event is already over, so you've got quite a bit of catching up to do, and don't forget to submit a banner."

Ashei rolled her eyes before turning back to her two companions. "Well, that worked out perfectly."

"Of course it did." Shad retorted sarcastically. "So what happens now? Where are we going to get a banner?"

Ashei sighed in mild contempt. "Obviously I'm going to use the one in Auru's bag."

"But Auru's not here. He left with-" Shad paused. "You already stole it?"

"I didn't 'steal' it. We're a team. We 'share' everything." She began walking to the registration board. "Why don't you make yourself useful and find out all you can about these snobs we're up against, yeah?"

She didn't bother to look back at him. Shad turned to Link. The ordonian had nothing to say. "Well, I suppose she's right. You go ahead without me. I'll be okay by myself."

Link nodded and slowly followed Ashei, keeping enough distance just to cover her rear. Shad couldn't help but sigh to himself. _Now where am I going to go to learn how this tournament works_? Shad thought.

A tap on his shoulder made him jump slightly, but when he saw that it was another one of those creatures he'd helped, he eased himself. They appeared much bigger when standing up, but he could see a compassionate look in its eyes, so he was able to remain calm. "I saw what you did for my fellow buko, and I appreciate it. Perhaps you are in need of a guide here in the Diamond?"

Shad slowly let a smile cross his face.

* * *

Rusl had never seen such a magnificent palace before in all of his life. Granted, he had only seen one other before, but even still, it seemed highly unlikely that he would ever find another one as awe-inspiring as the one before him. As he and Auru entered the brilliantly shining palace, neither of them couldn't help but feel more than a little bit affected by its majesty. It was not surprising, either. Rusl particularly felt like he was entering the dragon's lair, and he silently prayed that he would leave alive.

The guards were carefully spaced to keep an eye on everything, but not too distanced to be ineffective in a battle situation. Of course, those whom opposed them would have to get past the giant wall surrounding the city first. There were so many guards on the turrets that it was impossible to count. Still, a small selection of elite infiltrators could probably sneak in, but after Rusl and Auru were shuffled through security, he doubted it would get far.

The guards were extremely thorough, ensuring that the two would meet the "emperor" with nothing more than the clothes on their back, and even that was challenged at one point. What surprised Rusl was the fact that they were actually meeting the leader of Silidan instead of some representative. He knew that Queen Zelda often spoke directly to her visitors when it was possible, but she was a wise and benevolent ruler.

Rusl quickly brushed that thought away as he was nearing the throne room. Every time he was shuffled to a new chamber, he felt smaller and smaller. Still, Auru was better at keeping his cool, and since he was raised with the Royal Family, he was also better with making royal etiquette. He just hoped that they wouldn't unintentionally insult the entire nation.

"Hear ye! Hear ye!" The royal announcer cried out. "Kneel before the excellence that is Our Lord and Emperor Elodius Mentalliur Zium IV! Warrior of the Wizzrobes! Bane of the Buko! Uniter of the Uldima Barons! Master of the Morin Sea! Ruler of Silidan! God under the Sun!"

Never before had he known anyone to hold so many titles. He did his best to kneel as lowly as he could, humiliating as it felt. His face was pressed hard against his knee. He couldn't look up to see if the Emperor was present. He was almost certain his legs were quivering, but it was just his imagination.

"Arise, representatives of Hyrule, and meet the 'man' who has risen above the heavens!"

Auru was first, but Rusl quickly followed, taking a moment to fix his pant leg before gazing at the man who so 'rose above the heavens.' He wasn't able to hide his grimace as well as he'd hoped, but it wasn't terribly obvious.

Emperor Zium was a tall, powerful looking man. Not so much as Ganondorf, but he clearly was a warrior before he became true royalty. His crown was adorned with amazing jewels and stones that glimmered brightly. The robe around his body looked to be of the softest of silks. In his hand was a scepter of solid gold with a giant red ruby at the point. Lastly, in front of him was a giant blue magical barrier separating them from him. He may have been a great man in the eyes of his people (maybe just in his own), but he was not immortal.

"For two hundred years, you _hylians_ have hid behind a veil of trees nigh impenetrable by our armies." It appeared that the emperor was as long-winded as his announcer. "Now you come to us? I expect you have something important to bring to my attention; your surrender, perhaps?"

What a pompous ass, Rusl thought. Good thing Auru was quick to respond. "No, your Highness. I am sorry to intrude upon your domain, but just beyond that 'veil of trees' you mentioned was a small village territory belonging to Hyrule."

"And I care about this village because..."

"Because it was raided and sacked with all evidence supporting that they are renegades from your kingdom, your Majesty."

The emperor scoffed. "You took time out of my precious day to tell me about the renegades? I should have your heads removed for insinuating such idiocy."

As the emperor raised his hand to make an order, something stopped him. A person appearing behind his throne began whispering in his ear. Rusl wasn't sure what he was saying, but he hoped it was better than the emperor's original plan. He glanced over to Auru, who shrugged his shoulders. He too, was uncertain of their upcoming fate. However, they did not have to wait too long, as the shadowy figure disappeared behind the throne. The emperor cleared his throat. "After discussing it with one of my advisors, who believes in _strengthening_ our relationship, I will _allow_ you to search the land for these vagabonds. You say it was a territory, so it seems to hold no direct bearing on Hyrule, correct?"

Auru nodded and prepared to respond, but Emperor was not finished. "Then killing you would give me no more pleasure than killing anyone else. Again, I say you are free to search, but no this, outlanders: that as unwanted intruders, I have no reason to assist you in your search in any way. If you die along your travels, I will not have your bodies sent back to Hyrule. They will simply rot as they should. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, your Worship."

The emperor smiled slightly. "Good. Then you are excused."

Auru and Rusl bowed once more before turning around and leaving. The hall seemed extremely long as they marched out, but Rusl did not let it bother him. He was too focused on how much he hated the emperor. Once outside of the palace, he finally spoke his mind. "Such a conceited man! Why hasn't Hyrule done anything to them in the last two hundred years?"

Auru did not looked vexed by the situation, but his tone certainly showed through. "To my recollection, there was no emperor before, nor were they as vehemently against us. Not to mention that he's right about the Ordon border: it's too dense to permit large armies, much less siege weapons. War with them is quite literally impossible. Now let's go find Ashei and the others. I expect they are watching the tournament at this moment."

Rusl nodded. Following next to Auru, they hurried across the Diamond in search of the tournament, not realizing how involved their three companions were.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Auru and Rusl had missed quite a bit when they arrived at the tournament. They were lost within the screams of the crowds, unable to even see the prime event that was happening. From what they could hear, it sounded like the crowd was booing the entire time. Being more agile, Rusl was able to squeeze his way to the front. Surprisingly, Shad was only a couple people over from him. He quickly closed the distance while calling Auru to join them.

"How did you know we'd be here?" Shad asked.

"Ashei has my banner." Auru responded. Shad slapped his forehead. Of course, he should have known. Auru then began his own inquiry. "Did they actually get in?"

Shad nodded. "Yes, after a very heated argument with a group of knights, but I cannot blame them for that. I saw a buko in trouble and had to help."

Rusl furrowed his brow. "Buko?"

Shad quickly explained himself. "Another race of beings from the south. The silidian leadership exploited them into involuntary servitude. This here," he turned to his other side and pointed at his new friend, "is Forne. He's a buko. We met after the incident and he's been a great help lending us (mostly me) information about Silidan."

Forne shook hands with Shad's companions. "Any friend of Shad is a friend of mine."

Auru bowed slightly in respect. "It is good to see a friendly face. The last one we saw was only last night, and after what we just went through, even that seemed too long ago."

The buko had a good chuckle, which sounded strangely like a goron's. "Yes, the Diamond is very hostile to nonhumans. I assume your friend here..." He motioned towards Rusl, who was the only one from Hyrule that was human.

"I live on the edge of Hyrule. The people of my village all are..._were_ human."

"Ah. All except for Link, I presume?"

Rusl nodded while eyeing Shad. He clearly hadn't explained their situation thoroughly. Needless to say, he was quick to respond. "Forne has already met the others. He was the only person here who'd tell us about the tournament. He particularly noticed Link's inherent abilities as well."

"Yes," Rusl bemused. "It seems difficult for anyone _not _to notice."

Rusl couldn't help but sigh in resignation. It was such an odd feeling. The kid he watched grow up and taught how to fight was now the hero of all Hyrule. He felt both proud and jealous. Despite the conflicted emotions, it never stopped their friendship.

"So how are our comrades doing?" Auru returned the conversation back to the original subject.

"Well, we missed the first event; it was a peculiar game requiring horseback riding, teams and such. Link quickly won the race on horseback, had a good three seconds ahead of the front runner. Right now, Ashei is going through the jousting section. As you can see right now," he pointed to the field as two armored figures rammed each other with their spears. "She is doing particularly well, but she seemed to take a blow rather early that has been slowing her reflexes. But if all goes well, we may become the champions of the tournament."

"That's strange," Auru mused. "The joust is normally the most anticipated event in Hyrule. Is it not as important here?"

"The joust and the team match are definitely the favorites," Forne interjected. "But when it comes down to single skills, it's the arena and archery events that reign as the most significant."

Auru nodded. His mind suddenly went to their original goal. "Any way of knowing if the renegades are attending this event?"

"We checked all that were registered," Shad explained. "The only ones competing, other than ourselves, are the different houses."

"Am I to understand you are looking for the Riders?" Forne asked.

"Yes," Auru divulged. "We were told that they may have been responsible for a raid on our village."

"That doesn't seem like them." Forne looked to be in deep thought. "I may have to get back to you with information on that."

"Much appreciated." Rusl bowed lightly, before returning his attention towards Shad. "So what are the chances of us becoming the champions of the tournament?"

"Well," Shad began, "I can't really say yet. Since we missed the first one, it's been difficult trying to calculate our winnings against the others. For the time being, it would probably be best if we just win them all. If we can at least do that, I'm sure that we wi-"

The crowd suddenly gave a loud cheer as one of the riders slammed to the ground. The horse dragged it's rider off of the set before it slowed down. There was no question about who the crowd wanted to lose: it was Ashei.

Link, being down on the field, was quick to help her to her feet. Despite her gesturing that she was fine, she was more than a little bit woozy. Link carried her to a nearby chair and sat her down carefully. Shad couldn't tell what he was asking her, but it didn't take much imagination. When he was done, he turned to where Shad was in the stands. Despite being almost a hundred yards away, Link was able to signal to him that Ashei would be okay. Good thing, but it was obvious that she had lost the joust, coming in second.

"Well, so much for that." Shad sighed in dismay. "I guess we'll just have to _hope_ we do well."

"Shad," Auru tried to comfort. "You must have more faith."

Shad declined as he simply stared down at the ground, wondering if they had any chance anymore.

Out on the field, however, Ashei was too busy trying to keep her head from spinning. Link did his best to help her. "Can you still compete in the archery competition?"

"Just give me a second...and some water. I'll be fine before they start up."

There was a thirty minute intermission as the contestants moved to the archery range. Ashei's head was still throbbing, but she swore she was still strong enough to compete. Link chose not to argue her point. As they approached the range, Link began to notice the differences between hylian and silidian ranges. Silidian soldiers tended to have farther, but larger targets that were specifically shaped like humans. Extra points were given for hitting the heart or the brain. Link presumed that it was to initiate their soldiers to the idea of killing people rather than just aiming proper shots, but he didn't plan to find out.

Ashei stood by as she watched the other knights take their positions and fire their first shots. At approximately 25 yards, the target was easy to hit. She made sure she took her time at her spot, testing her bow's strength. Due to the larger stature of her bow to Link's, her arrows were also longer to compensate, creating more penetration power and accuracy. As it became her turn to fire a shot, she took a quick breathe in, raised her bow to eye level, ensuring it was straight, quickly glanced at the wind flag before making adjustments, and slowly exhaled as she let loose her first arrow. It penetrated deep into the target, just slightly off-center and to the left of the heart-circle.

Ashei found that to be particularly odd. She was great archer, and the shot was still strong, but at that range it should have been perfect. She thought it was perhaps just her headache and left it at that, but she wasn't the only one to notice. Link, on the sideline could see the frustration and pondered another probable cause. He quickly took off away from the field to determine his deduction.

Meanwhile, Ashei prepped herself as the target was pulled back to another 10 yards. The silidian archery segment was often made short and sweet by having only five different targets to aim at, each 10 yards away from each other. At the end, the total points made would be added up. No moving targets and no multiple shots on the same targets would be made. There were nine other knights representing their lords, three of which had perfect tens, two others with nines and the last four with eights. Unless the other knights were having difficulty on their first target, Link expected the results to only slightly worsen for each one.

The targets were done being moved. The other knights had fired their shots doing about the same as they had before. Ashei raised her bow once more, ready to fire again. The other knights did their best to distract her, taunting, as she aimed in on the target, but it was obvious she did not hear them. As she let the second arrow go, she couldn't help but wonder if it would stray away again. As the crowd began to cheer, she lowered her bow in disappointment. It had drifted even further to the left. She was completely baffled as to why it kept drifting. Her aim was perfect, she didn't fidget and she took the wind into account perfectly.

Or at least she thought so. Link rushed back to her side to explain his discovery. "Ashei, the wind flags are heavier than ours. You need to aim more to the right."

"Well that's just great. Any idea how much more?"

Link dropped to one knee and picked a pinch of dirt up. Slowly letting it fall, he tried to estimate the wind. "Are you aiming half a circle over?" Ashei nodded and responded, "With a steady increase."

"Try bumping it up to one and a half each."

Ashei verbalized her thanks and Link stepped back. The targets had moved back again. Looking back towards the other knights, it was clear that she would need to get perfect shots from now on in order to place. Ashei aimed down once more, breathing in quickly, and exhaling slowly. She let loose her arrow once again. The crowd booed, while Ashei only smiled. The shot was dead center in the target, giving her the boost she needed to begin catching up to the lead. She now had 26 points, while the two leaders had 29 and 27. Only two targets left, and it was already looking much better this time around.

The next target came and went without a hitch. Ashei was now two points behind the lead with 36 points. It looked like the title would be hers, until the leader brought up the next challenge. "It seems you are getting better. It's unfortunate that you're still a bit too far behind to catch up."

Ashei let out a laugh as she faced the man. "Really? You're not afraid that I might actually _be_ better than you? How about we move the target back an extra 30 yards just to prove your point?"

The knight's eyes widened, not expecting such as tall a boast as that. However, he was not ready to back down from a woman, so he ordered the squires to do so with haste. Link reproached Ashei again. "Are you going to be able to predict the wind on this one?"

Ashei kept her eyes on the target. "Those last two shots gave me all the confidence I'll need."

Link nodded and took a step back, keeping his own eyes on the lead knight. The knight took his time, constantly raising his bow, aiming in, and dropping it. Despite his attempt to scare Ashei out, it seemed that he was not quite as confident as he claimed to be. Finally, he refused to lower his bow and decided to fire. The arrow zoomed through the air before slamming into the target. It took a moment for the squires to examine the target, but in a moment, the crowds cheered quite a bit. To Ashei's relief it was only a seven, but that still meant she would need a perfect shot to win.

Ashei refused to let the tension get to her. She waited for the crowd to die down, watching her target carefully. She quickly realized that her bearing on the target was insufficient. Her next action was to drop down on one knee and pull out her next arrow. Her hand then went over a small rock nearby, as she began to chip a small part of the wood off near the back where it would be level with her eye. Once the task was completed, she got back up and prepped the arrow. Instead of focusing on her target, she focused on aligning the arrow first. It was a technique that her father had taught her when she was young, and it was a sound way to ensure that her arrow went where she aimed. That being done, she finally opened her grip.

Just as before, the arrow soared across the range, penetrating the target. The anticipation was killing the audience, but Ashei let a grin escape her face. She knew it was the perfect shot, but it was nice to hear the crowd boo. Somehow, she relished in the fact that she was beating the elitists at their own game.

Ashei took her time strolling off the field, grinning smugly all the way as she and Link moved on to the small arena. This time it was Link's turn to workout, as he would be up against four different opponents in single-combat. He still wasn't sure what the restrictions were, but it was his understanding that they would explain it as they were being "checked up on." What that meant, Link quickly found out.

At the entrance of the arena was a desk: one man sitting at it with two heavily armed and armored knights standing over him. All the combatants were forced through this point in order to examine their weapons to determine which were too unsafe for these fights. Since all the other combatants were knights wearing fully plated armor, most of the weapons were allowed with only minor dulling regulations. Link expected there would be trouble when he made it up to the desk. "You realize all the other combatants are wearing armor?"

"I do. I'm also wearing chain mail." He lifted his arm to show it underneath his tunic. The clerk examined it with a nod.

"Even still, that is quite insufficient here. You realize that you are going in greatly handicapped? We are not going to make the others change out their weapons to suit your own needs." The man paused a moment to inspect Link's sword. Ever since the fight with Ganondorf, Link had to rely on his old Ordon Sword. It was withered a bit with a chip in place, but it still worked nonetheless. Zelda also gave him a rare metal, jeweled sword with a razor double-edge, but he kept that under wraps, planning to use it only when his old sword wore out completely. "I would have my knights dull the blade, but it seems you hylians don't know how to properly maintain your own. You can go in without any inhibitors."

Link nodded in thanks and walked in, following the long archways towards the waiting area. Ashei quickened her pace to keep up with him. She would not be able to fight, but an extra set of eyes on the other opponents would make it easier to analyze their strengths and weaknesses. It still felt awkward for Link, working directly with others, but he appreciated the help. He had always hoped to travel with Rusl. The man had always been like an older brother to him. Ashei, however, was a different story. He found it odd that a woman could be so potentially dangerous. Not that he was sexist, but after living in Ordon for seventeen years, he never saw women as warriors. Ashei of course changed all that, being stronger than most men. He knew he was stronger, but it still took him a while to be comfortable around her in the year or so they helped restore Hyrule.

"They don't look so tough." Ashei muttered, almost a sneer. "I probably could beat the lot of them even _with_ my headache."

Link chuckled politely. "You've had your fun. Let me pull my weight this time." He scanned across the small storeroom where all the warriors were waiting. Only two stood out to him as particularly dangerous. He motioned at them for Ashei. "If you could watch those two in the back, then that should be enough."

Ashei nodded, but there was little time to lose. The first round of battles was about to begin. The rounds were set up so that there would be three fights happening at once. Since there were far more participants in this event than the others, they needed to eliminate the lower hands as quickly as possible. The quarter and semifinals would be reduced to two fights per round, with the finals standing alone. The two knights in the back appeared to be rivals of different noble houses. Link didn't recognize their crest, so he assumed their house hadn't competed in the other competitions. If they were to come out on top of the other competitors, then Link and Ashei's current rivals, the House of Widzan, might not win the grand prize. He hoped that would be enough.

Link was quickly rushed into the one of the small arenas. His opponent was already there waiting for him, with full plated armor and a ten-foot shaft with a foot long spearhead. Link raised his sword and shield. All he needed to do was land five quick blows and he'd be declared the winner, so he wasted no time charging the opposition. A rush attack is often considered a bad move, leaving the opponent to pick his defense. Link, however, noticed the fault in his adversary's weapon carriage. As the spearman thrust forward, Link easily parried it aside with his shield. Now past the point of the spear, Link quickly let his shield slip out of his grasp as he let his now free hand grab the weapon at the end of the shaft. He now had full control of his opponents weapon, and easily landed the five blows he needed to end the round, ensuring that he didn't seriously hurt the young knight.

As they did for Ashei, the crowd let out their disappointment with an uproar of jeers. Link did not let it bother him as he returned to the central waiting area. He was the first to finish his round, followed by one of the knights Ashei was watching. The third contestant was of House Widzan. The next six warriors hurried to the arenas, while Ashei returned to Link with the info.

"That one knight," she began to explain, "is good. Pretty damn good, but he isn't perfect. His choice of weapon is a two-handed sword. It has an extra hand guard forged on the blade itself about six inches from the main one. Pretty sturdy too, so you can't overpower him. It looked to be about five and a half feet with the hilt included. Some really powerful swings, but as expected they are slow."

Link nodded thankfully. "The other knight up yet?"

"Not yet. Once this set is over he should."

Almost as if on cue, the other knight walked past them. He began to take his armor off, slowly exposing his body until he was down to a simple tunic and pants. He didn't even wear chain mail underneath. Speed and agility were clearly going to be his game, but his weapon of choice befuddled Link and Ashei greatly. As the knight slowly pulled it out of his bag, thoughts began to race through their minds as to what it could do. In one hand was a sickle, razor-sharp and deadly. Attached at the bottom of it was a chain, looking to be about ten feet long. At the other end of the chain was a small, yet, heavy-looking weight. Link did not need to think twice about the lethality of the weapon, despite its foreign appearance.

As soon as the second set of warriors came back, the unarmored figure rushed up the stairs to his stage. The two hylians did not wish to miss him, so they hustled over to watch him. A flight of stairs from the waiting area lead them above the arena and the crowd, allowing them to watch each game as they saw fit. The strange knight had just begun swinging his chain above his head. His opponent was a man carrying a halberd. A deadly and simple weapon to use, but he clearly was relatively novice with it.

The robed knight spun his chain for ten more seconds, biding his time and worrying his adversary. Then, all of a sudden, it was over. The man had let the chain go and the weight at the end smashed against the young one's helmet. He instantly fell unconscious. A quick check from a doctor indicated that he merely passed out, and the crowd cheered at the amazing skill of the awesome warrior.

Link and Ashei turned to face each other. They didn't need to say anything. They knew that he was definitely a threat. The first round might have been over, but the real fight hadn't even begun.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The crowds were a menace to the ears. Their constant fluctuation of cheers and boos only became louder as both Link and the mysterious warrior climbed up the ranks of the arena. It was clear as Link was finishing up his last opponent that the two would be in the finals.

Rusl was truly impressed by Link's innate skill. The hylian may have learned the basics from him, but his style was clearly his own. The moves he'd learned on his journey seemed simple, but could easily be adapted to any situation. Sometimes, Rusl may have disliked being outshined by his student, but it was _his_ student.

"Well," Shad seemingly interjected Rusl's thoughts. "Since Link eliminated the Widzan knight, we just need to finish this last guy and we'll be first overall."

Rusl let his grin widen. His earlier encounter with the emperor seemed a distant memory now. Despite the heinous attitude of his kinsman toward hylians, his heart was of a different nature. Whatever it was that gripped the residents of the Diamond in a tight fist of hatred must have been sown centuries ago. He silently prayed that Link would win, and prove their equality for all to see.

"I have faith. Link _will_ defeat his opponent." He stated full of confidence.

* * *

The final match was set. Link stood on one side; his opponent, finally given the name of Kredo, was crouched in the other. The crowd had begun chanting the name loudly. It may have overwhelmed some opponents, but Link was mentally locked with him, merely waiting for the warrior to make a move. Ashei was watching from the gate just outside the arena. Her eyes were wide in anticipation. Any second now, the gong would sound, beginning the match.

Kredo raised his weapon into the air and began spinning it. Link raised his shield knowing that as soon as the fight started, evading the exotic weapon would be his first priority. So focused were the two combatants on each other that it seemed as if the crowd had faded away entirely from sight and hearing. Finally, after almost a minute, the match had begun.

Kredo let fly the weight in a horizontal throw. Link having observed him fight the others rolled underneath the projectile, and laid there in a curled up stance. An unusual tactic indeed. Kredo began pulling back his chain, but was caught off guard by Link's next maneuver. As the end of the chain carrying the weight began to drag past Link, the hylian tugged on it with all his strength. Kredo still had extra leverage, and held tightly to his weapon. Their distance now closed to two yards apart, Link hurled his shield at his overwhelmed opponent. It smashed against his right leg, giving Link the first point.

Whatever pain Kredo was feeling, he made no show of it. He responded to Link's game of tug-of-war with a powerful pull of his own. Link, expecting this, merely let go. Kredo was not so foolish this time, catching the weight in his free hand. As Kredo modified his battle stance, Link recovered to his feet.

Realizing that his opponent was just as clever as he was good, Kredo decided to close the distance to use his sickle and chain. Link now had several yards separating him from his shield, but he was expecting Kredo to stand in his way, so he modified his stance as well. Kredo liked to catch blades and arms inside his chain while cutting up his opponent with the sickle. Link was going to have to evade that death trap while scoring points.

The hylian side-stepped in the direction of his shield giving indication to what his goal was. Kredo wasn't sure if it was another trick, but he believed it better to spring an expected trap than to permit his target to re-equip. When Link took another step, Kredo attacked with a curved slash to the shoulder.

Link twisted his body back to avoid the incoming slice. It missed his body by inches. He then retaliated with a quick punch in Kredo's face; another point for him. It definitely surprised the human, but he still reacted. Instinctively, Kredo tossed the chain around Link's arm, catching it on the wrap-around. Now the two were connected. Kredo attempted to slice at the caught arm, hoping to earn some quick points. Link, however, caught his arm with his left hand dropping his sword on the ground beside them.

It was now a power struggle. The two fighters had nothing to do but to try and usurp each other's grasp. Kredo's gaze was unchanging, but his arm felt a tingling sensation indicating it was weakening. Link was holding strong, but he chose not to waste his strength. He needed to change things up again.

He slammed his head into the other. Another point for the hylian.

Two unprotected blows to the head and Kredo's vision was now growing hazy. He switched all his focus towards avoiding another similar blow. It worked, but at the cost of loosening his grip on the chain in his other hand. Link noted the change and yanked his right arm free. The chain went with him, slipping out of Kredo's grasp. The weight on the chain flew overhead as Link distanced himself from the wounded warrior. A second later, Kredo had regained his composure, his stance coming shortly afterwards. He was breathing deeply as he realized that the hylian truly was a greater match than he'd bargained for. Link was already up as well, having recovered his sword and rapidly backpedaling to his sword. Kredo had not realized how much they had moved during the struggle, but it was clearly all part of the hylian's plan. It only showed another sign of his own loss of focus and his opponent's cunning.

Link finally picked up his sword, poised to strike but made no move to attack. Kredo made use of this time to recover, and became more aware of his surroundings. The crowd was booing wildly. They no longer seemed human, but a pack of vicious carnivores, thirsting for blood. _Their_ blood. Link's for being hylian and Kredo's for failing them. It finally came to his realization that he couldn't win, but failure was not an option either. He couldn't let himself be defeated, for he represented the strength of the silidian houses. For him, there was only one way that could save his hide.

Slowly, Kredo put his weapon down on the ground, and gave a signal to a referee. The crowd hushed all on its own, leaving Link to look around in confusion. The ref quickly stepped in between the two combatants, pointing his hands towards Link. "Winner, by resignation, the hylian!"

The silence from the audience switched to murmuring amongst themselves. They too seemed surprised, for they had hoped to have a complete victory and got a resignation. It was still better than what would have actually happened, but it was still a disappointment. That didn't stop Ashei and Shad from whooping in joy. Even Rusl and Auru couldn't help but smile in their own manners as well. Link, however, wanted to know why. Sheathing his own weapons, he approached his defeated foe. Before he could even open his mouth, Kredo spoke first. "You win this time, _hylian_. Next we meet I will be ready, and there will be no restraints."

He then brushed past him aggressively and left the arena.

* * *

Though the golden statuette was a magnificent prize, it was decided that the travelers would sell it for more foreign currency. At least the citizens of the Diamond appreciated it. Seeing their grand prize of the tournament in the hands of aliens was not a sight that they enjoyed. Plus, it helped them to avoid prying eyes. When they all split up to explore, few tended to recognize the participants of the tournament at all.

The three younger members of the group had gone out to find something to spend their money on. Shad found his way into a book store, coming out quickly with a series of long texts. Ashei found herself a new horse which was a beautiful black stallion called Mytyr. It seemed as if the two would get along quite nicely. Also, since they had won the bet with the knights, she obtained an extra prize of a magnificent sword. It was larger than her normal, raiding sword, and looked as though it would more easily fit Link's style of combat, but she showed a great desire for it herself, and nobody complained.

Link, on the other hand, simply wanted to explore the city a bit before meeting up with his friends at the appointed inn. Unfortunately for him, he became quite lost. He had considered asking for directions, but figured no one would help him. Before losing hope, his attention was taken to the sound of children laughing.

Down another street, on a unique and colorfully designed corner was a large man surrounded by kids of all ages. Considering the bright and almost ridiculous looking clothes he wore, Link presumed him to be a jester of some sorts. Grand gestures and bright vocal tones fulfilled his assumption very well, but as he came closer, he appeared to be an entertainer of all sorts. A lute hung at his side, and his shoes were styled for dancing. Eventually, he was even able to hear what the man was saying.

"Yes, boys and girls! After that first bite, Term started to cluck about like he was a bird!" He began to do so himself, showing how silly this character looked, and kids laughed even louder. "And that's why you must never, ever, _ever_ cook and eat a cucoo: 'cuz you might _go_ cuckoo."

The children all applauded as the big man smiled and bowed melodramatically. As the kids began to leave, Link found himself drawn to this peculiar man, and chose to wade through the crowd of dismissed children.

"Excuse me, sir?" He tried to begin. The other man replied cheerily, "Yes, sir? Oh! You're Link! I saw you today in the arena! Very good match, you and Kredo. Of course, he never stood a chance."

His manners almost startled Link. _Now here is another human who doesn't care about his lineage_. Link thought to himself. _Or maybe, there's even more to him than he lets o-__...__how did he know my name? _"Thank you. I appreciate it. And your name is..."

"Mandrakos. Mandrakos Fears, and before you ask, the answer is 'nothing.' Even the kids know that joke."

"I wasn't going to ask. So you're a noble?" Link inquired, recalling his original conversations with Seirva back on the edge of Silidan.

"It's an inherited noble name, but no. I'm the only Fears you'll ever know." He shook the hylian's hand, instinctively with his left. "I see you're not holding the golden statuette. Perhaps the others have it?"

Link shook his head politely. "Sold it. Needed the money."

"Oh, I should have guessed, being foreign and all. Was there something you wanted to ask me?"

"Actually, I'm looking for the _Blinding Sun Inn_. Could you give me some directions?"

"Of course." He quickly gave him the fastest path to the buko-run inn, telling which alleys to avoid and which to take. He also took a moment to tell him a couple quick stories about the Diamond itself and some of the buildings within, but kept it short as to not keep him waiting.

"Thanks again." Link said, preparing to depart.

"A moment, please. Before you go," Mandrakos reached inside his pack on his belt to present a mask. "A gift. The _Mask of Truth_. Said to give one the ability to see that which is unseen."

It was a horrifying mask to behold. Its base was pale-white and had a red lining that was dark like blood. Near the spot where the forehead would be was a large yellow eye. Link took it reluctantly, but Mandrakos tried to cheer him up. "At the very least, it will bring you luck on your travels."

Link thanked him a final time before leaving. It took almost no time at all to find the inn with the new directions he'd been given. After just a few minutes, the _Blinding Sun Inn_ came into sight. Due to the fact it was owned and run by buko, he should have realized how much it stood out. It looked like a dirty dwarf amongst beautifully clean giants. Clearly, living in the Diamond was more difficult for those who were not human.

Any reservations Link had about the accommodations being any bit lacking were quickly dissipated the moment he was inside. Forne took great pride in having his place well kept despite his financial troubles. Auru and Rusl were at the bar enjoying a unique-looking brew. Shad was head first inside one of his new books, while Ashei was messing about with her new sword on the second floor stairs.

"Glad you made it back, son." Auru greeted, gulping down the last of his grog with great enthusiasm. "I wanted to discuss our plans tonight before we retire."

Ashei peered down the stairs from above. Her eyes were fixated on Shad, still deep within the wonders of reading. "Hey, bookworm!"

Shad sighed before returning to reality. "I heard them!" He collapsed the book and moved closer to the others. Ashei then slid down the stair rail hitting the ground with a thud from her boots. Once everyone had properly gathered, Auru began.

"Forne just informed me that he's a part of an underground ring of buko that smuggles goods to others in need. He says that most buko are somehow involved, but all at least know about it. One thing they also deal in a lot of is information. They keep tabs on everything, especially the movements of troops." Auru glanced at Link, knowing what he desired to hear. The young man prayed that the next bit of news was good. "Whatever forces we believe attacked didn't come through here."

Link sighed in resignation. Every time it seemed like they were closer to finding Ilia, his love kept slipping out of his grasp. Rusl noted the look on his face and motioned at Auru to continue. "Despite that, Forne believes that the only reason a raiding party would kidnap a girl like Ilia would be to sell her at a slave market. Apparently women of her age are a prize."

"They have slave markets for humans too?" Ashei asked astonished. It was bad enough seeing humans push buko around like animals, it was another seeing them act the same to other humans.

"Yes, but they have a peculiar system for that as well." Shad attempted to explain using the new knowledge from his books. "If a person owes a debt or simply has no money, they can set themselves up for slavery known as 'servanthood.' They're paid slaves, but can have menial tasks and few benefits. What we saw with the buko is full-fledged slavery. Aliens without a home or job can be claimed instantly as slaves, or even humans captured between warring houses can be put up as such. They have no benefits or pay like servanthood offers."

"But Ilia's human. They wouldn't _really_ consider selling her as a slave?" Link interjected.

"We can't count on that," Auru stated, almost mournfully. "Which brings us to the next part of our discussion: planning. Some of you must go west to a town called Denalet. It has a huge slave market and specializes in such. If Ilia was taken to be sold, then that would be the next logical destination. You'll need to find a way to blend into the crowd as to not get caught up in the trade as well."

"I'm sorry; you said some of 'you'?" Shad inquired.

"Another person and I will be going a bit farther south to the border of the buko desert lands to a settlement there. It is a safe haven and center for the ring I mentioned earlier. The best place to gain information about Ilia _or_ the raiders, whether they were renegades or not, will be found there. We'll also need to take Cranis with us as well. We can relay what information we find back to the other group through him." Cranis was Rusl's hawk. "So who's going with me?"

Shad raised his hand excitedly. "I'd love to go with you. The buko are a fascinating bunch indeed, and I'd love to spend more time with them, not to mention to get through my new books."

"Where'd you get all those books anyway?" Rusl asked.

"It was in the bookstore near the arena. I thought you all saw me go in."

"Well, _what_ are those books?" He tried to rephrase his question this time.

"It's a bunch of historical stories of Silidan, starting over a thousand years ago and ending up until our times, so it'll fill in any gaps we have from the time we ceased contacting them."

"I'll be honest," Ashei piped up. "I actually took a look inside one of them. It's surprisingly good. Not like the boring histories my father used to make me read."

"Well, it's written in song-script. Very easy to read for anyone with the typical flare one would expect from a storyteller. It's also surprisingly in-depth too. I've almost forgotten it has a modern writer."

"And who might that author be?" Link's curiosity peaked at that last bit of information.

"Uh . . . a Mandrakos Fears."

"Mandrakos Fears what?" Ashei added with a childish grin on her face. Link almost answered without thinking, but quickly chose to withhold. Perhaps this character really _was_ more than what he seemed. Then again, maybe he was just really good at his job.

"Before this discussion gets anymore out of hand," Auru almost snapped, attempting to refocus the group. "Let's finish talking about who will be going where. You can talk all you want after that."

He turned his head thoughtfully towards Link. "My boy, I trust you'll want to look for Ilia?

The young man nodded. "All right. Ashei and Rusl, you'd best go with him as well. Make sure you're all prepared tonight. You have the more difficult task ahead of you."

With that, the meeting was adjourned. Link, Rusl, and Ashei were up the better part of the night arguing over how to spy amongst the slave market. It was a long, hard talk, but they eventually came up with a plan that would work. With the help of Forne, they acquired all the information they needed to go undercover in the city.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Denalet was a smaller city than the Diamond, but the streets were much busier and hectic than the latter. All along the main street were booths filled with slaves or peculiar trinkets for slaves to have. It was an amazing display where human life was bought and sold on a whim. Some slaves were resigned over their fate, knowing they were to be given harsh life. Most were huddled in fear at the unknown that awaited them while a select few were confident that they would gain servanthood as opposed to outright slavery.

The buyers came from all over Silidan, whether they were lords of noble manors searching for servants, knights looking for cheap squires, or even villagers who scrounged enough money to purchase a slave for personal pleasure. There were even a couple of merchants, who had desires to buy and contract slaves for brief periods of time to others. Most were regulars, making monthly visits to see similar stock, but usually leaving disappointed. It was the newcomers who were often easily swayed to spend more than they had originally planned, but that didn't mean they were unsatisfied.

And the sellers, how they shouted! Competition so fierce it could have erupted into a full-scale war had there been any real profit to gain. There were fast-talkers, phrase-quoters, but the favorites were the hagglers. These men were experts of arguments and debates over quality and quantity, but more importantly: price. Perhaps the greatest haggler in all of Denalet was Sanducci. Though not necessarily renown for his skills, few had dealt with him and had come out on top. He once sold a harem of girls to a lord for thrice their actual worth, and none were the wiser save for him.

For a while, Sanducci found himself wondering the streets, looking for others slaves that he could purchase. One of his greatest ploys was to buy other owner's slaves at low prices before reselling them to another at a much greater value. Since he was also a traveling merchant, he enjoyed having a full stock of slaves to bargain with once he began his travels elsewhere. Still, he was running out of time if he wished to meet the roads favorably, but there was one stranger he noted that just might have had what he was looking for.

"Excuse me, miss!" He exclaimed excitedly to a passing woman. She turned slightly to acknowledge him. The merchant noticed that she wore a smooth hood over her head covering up most of her features, but the pale skin indicated one of noble birth to him. "A word with you, miss."

The woman did not seem interested, but felt the need to listen since she had already recognized him. She did her best to deal with him quickly. "What is it? I'm not in the mood for minor prattle."

The merchant bowed lowly as he introduced himself. "My name is Sanducci, traveling merchant and friendly face all around. I couldn't help but notice, miss, that you have some particularly interesting slaves in your entourage. Mighty fine specimens too, I might add. Perhaps you'd be interested in selling?"

He made motion to the two male slaves in front of her. Large metal slabs hung around their necks, dangling over their simple brown clothes. They were both quite muscular while still having no apparent scars. A great find for Sanducci if he could get the woman to bargain. The woman, however, did not seem to care for him. "Don't you have a booth of your own?"

The man nodded, twisting his long moustache in his right hand. "They're in exquisite condition. However, I could resell them with my kart at a much better price elsewhere. People here wouldn't offer you what I could."

Now the woman laughed in his face. "And let _you_ gain a greater profit than me? Not a chance. Besides, I have no intention of selling my prized possessions."

She turned her back to leave, adjusting her hood once more, but the man was persistent. "I see you are not one to deal with lightly, so I'll be generous with you. I'll give you 1,000 gold marks for the older one. 2,500 marks for the younger one."

"They're not for sale. I suggest you leave me be now!" Her voice darkened in tone, leaving a chill in Sanducci's spine. He made no attempt to stop her now as she finally was able to continue on her way. The merchant sighed. He could have made off with a lot of money for the one with the long ears. He looked up at the sun again, considering his next choice of actions. It was getting late, and he needed to be on his way. After all, the sales around here had been dwindling for him. Now was as good a time as any to take his new find elsewhere.

Meanwhile, farther down the road, the hooded woman whipped her slaves with a leather strap. "Don't get too far ahead, or I'll visit more painful things upon you than this."

The younger slave turned to face his master. "Okay, you're clearly enjoying this too much."

The woman grinned playfully. "Oh, yeah. You have no idea."

This time the older one turned back his head. "I still think I should have been the slave owner, Ashei. At least I'm human."

She whipped him lightly on the back, enough to make him wince. "That's not my name, _Russell_. Which is exactly why you aren't the slave owner: you can't act."

Rusl turned back to Link, who couldn't help but smirk, which got him another whip to his back. "No smiling either, _Zant_."

The trio continued strolling along the main street, looking for any signs of Ilia. So far, their efforts seemed to be in vain. Ilia's unique features would have made her a cinch to spot, but the longer they looked, the more they began to doubt.

"Maybe she's been sold already." Link mourned. Though he was briefly relieved of such feelings since he'd spoken with Rusl, his emotions of despair had begun to creep back into him like a worm slowly eating away at his mind. Something was terribly wrong, and he couldn't help but wonder if it was with him, or if it was the kingdom itself. "We're too late."

Rusl quickly realized how deep Link was slumping. He did his best to ease his mind again. "Don't worry, boy. We've still got a lot of road ahead of us. It's still possible that she's alive and around. Even if she isn't, we'll simply widen our search and ask the sellers for girls with her description. Sound good back there?"

Rusl had tipped his head back to speak to Ashei only to find that she was already walking expeditiously towards another vendor with a large cadre of slaves. "Ho there! I'm looking for a very specific specimen for my brother. Think you have it?"

"Well I need to know those specifics first, but I'm sure your brother will be most pleased." The vendor listened to Ashei's description just before slowly guiding her over several of his slaves. After a quick inspection, it was obvious none of them were Ilia.

"Too short . . . legs are too long . . . too corpulent. Nothing. You disappoint me, but I'll give twenty marks if you can point me in the direction of a vendor who might have what I want."

The man hesitated, but free money was free money. "Try Gadran's booth. It's about three blocks down this street. You can't miss it. He's got a colorful booth of red, yellow and green. You'll hear him yelling about his new 'No money down,' policy. Like that's going to catch on."

Ashei nodded, flipped a large coin in his direction and went on her way. Returning empty handed, it was obvious to Link and Rusl the results, but she did pass on to them the information she was given, so they continued back down the street, hoping that this man would be the one whom was holding Link's love. Sauntering down the street even more, they began to make some observations.

"Looks like there are more female slaves down here than before." Ashei pointed out. "Most of all the slaves we saw when we started were male. Must have been done to make it easier to find what you're looking for."

"We haven't run into any buko slaves, yet." Rusl commented. "Perhaps they're even further down the end. If we start to see them instead, we should make a point to turn back around."

After a couple more minutes of walking, they reached Gadran's booth. Ashei strolled over to deal with the man, leaving Link and Rusl nearby. The conversation between Ashei and the man dragged on for a while. Link lost interest soon after they had started. Turning about, the hylian found himself attracted to a scene happening across the street.

A group of large men were trying to drag an animal into a crate, pulling it with large ropes. Fear clearly shown on their faces, but the real indicator was the muzzle on the animal. Though it did try to claw at them, it was not anywhere successful. Upon closer inspection, Link was able to discern that the beast was a large dog. But it wasn't any kind of dog.

It was a wolf.

The sight of the creature brought a surge of memories back to him. All the times he was a wolf himself: fighting with claw and fang. The weight of Midna, the Twilight Princess and dear friend he'll never see again, on his back. The smell of poes, a scent the like of canines could only track. Being carried by a flying beast up the Zora River. Braving the grotesque beast known as Ganon. All these memories had left and impact, but the one that stuck the most, was the first and sudden realization that he was know longer human, but a beast. A beast in a cell.

Link couldn't let the wolf suffer a similar, yet, far worse fate than his. Without thinking, he rushed at the tugging humans and hurled himself onto them, forcing them to the ground. It was not the wisest thing to do, for they were quick to their feet. Fortunately, they lost their grips on the ropes holding the wolf. It freed itself from the bonds that held it while trying to scratch at the muzzle over its elongated mouth. The men were too ticked off to notice, for they had new prey to deal with. Though a great warrior, without a sword and shield, Link was unable to take on five larger men at once, so getting a hold of him was not as difficult as he'd hoped.

"A long-eared slave eh?" The largest one stammered. He was a bald, fat man over six feet tall. "Figures you'd want t' help a fellow animal. Too bad yer master ain't here, 'cuz we're gonna take care o' you good!"

"His master _is_ here you dolt!" The loud-mouthed man turned to see Ashei behind him; her face was dark and angry. He didn't know her, but he sure was cautious of her. "Any punishment to be distributed to him will be done so by me, at _my_ leisure!"

The large man slowly regained his composure. "Er, look 'ere miss, er lady, er whatever. Yer slave just let loose a 'avenous dog! Ain't no knowing o' where it went off to. Probably mauled a dozen people 'ight now."

"Don't be ridiculous! It's still right behind you." The crowd of humans murmured to themselves before slowly turning around. Sure enough, the beast was there. It growled softly letting the fear settle across their faces again just before barking loudly. The men leapt back, almost levitated, behind Ashei. Link, no longer being held by the humans, knelt down to the wolf to let it smell him. The growling stopped as it took a few seconds to sniff him. Then he slowly began licking his palm. Not the sign of a _ravenous dog_ at all.

"Well I'll be a grufin offspring!" The leader of the men said to himself. "It _can_ be tame if'in it wants to. But that don't change nuthin'. We still gots to kill it."

The wolf made a whining noise at Link who in turn looked up at Ashei. He didn't have to say anything. The look on his face was enough to let her know what he was thinking. "He seems to like our company, and I can always use a new hunting dog. What'll it take to get it off your hands?"

The man scoffed while scratching his bare head. "You can _have_ it, but I'll 'equire comp'sation fer what yer slave done to me 'n me friends. I b'lieve ten marks a person 'ould do."

Ashei scoffed right back at him. "That's a load of horse dung and you know it! He threw you to the ground. He didn't beat you to a pulp. Five for each of you and not a single mark more."

Though hesitant, he realized the woman was still doing him a favor with the wolf. He agreed to the terms and left without a sign of anger still in him. Ashei smiled briefly, but quickly stopped herself when she remembered her role. With the back of her hand, she struck Link across the face. "You are trying my patience far too often, _Zant_!"

She was ready to strike again, but was halted at the sound of another person coming up from behind her. A tall man with clean blond hair and clothes fit for a noble had made his way to speak with Ashei. With a smile on his face, he spoke in a soft voice. "Pardon me, miss. I was happening by when I noticed this incident you resolved here. You truly handled yourself particularly well considering the size of that man and his companions. Few women stand out around here in that manner."

Ashei was not interested in the man, but felt no harm in continuing to converse with him. "Well I'm not from around _here_. I'm from the east."

"Ah. I suspected as much. Never seen your face before, but now the sight will be forever embedded inside of my mind. May I ask you your name, miss?"

The hylian regretted she responded in the first place. Last thing she needed was someone following her around in infatuation. Still, it was too rude to back out now. She quickly recalled her cover and stated, "Lyndis Takion: second daughter to Sir Ulric Takion."

The man nodded intently. "For House Mendille, correct?"

"Quite. Now if you'll excuse me, mister . . ."

"Luc Ergizt: first son of Sir Kredo Ergizt."

Ashei shot a look back at Link. If this was the son of the man Link had fought in the arena, there could be trouble following. "Well, I'm pleased to meet you Luc, but I really need to-"

The man left no room for her to pull away. He wanted her badly. "May I ask where you found your two slaves here?"

Ashei groaned and forced herself not to roll her eyes in disgust. Perhaps if she'd just answer, he'd eventually go away. "This one here, the older one, I bought him off when his family couldn't pay his debt he owed to my father. The other, the long-eared freak, I found near the forest to the north of our border while hunting for wild foxes. He didn't give in so easily. Had to sic my hounds on him and knock him out before I could carry him back to the keep."

Luc sounded deeply enthralled, but his desires seemed unfulfilled still. "An interesting account. Perhaps you'd be willing to divulge more on that endeavor over dinner tonight?"

Ashei refused to let this man ruin her day anymore. "You seem nice enough Luc, but that's exactly the problem. You wouldn't suit me. So if you'll excuse me _now_, we have business elsewhere."

"May I at least know where you're staying the night, provided you are?"

"We are, but I have yet to decide. Last night's accommodations were more than a little lacking."

"Well may I suggest the _Rose Wine Inn_? I have more than enough confidence it will suit the needs of a lady such as yourself."

"I'm grateful for your concern, but it is unnecessary. Now please, leave me be." Luc looked rather hurt, but he kept the smile on his face briefly before heading off in the opposite direction of Ashei and her companions. She sighed in relief knowing the menace was gone. "Finally! Thought we'd never be through with him."

"Any word from that seller?" Rusl inquired.

Ashei turned to him, bringing her back to what they were doing. "Oh. Almost forgot. No. She wasn't there. We're just going to have to look a little longer."

Ashei took the lead this time with Link slouching slightly in the back. It seemed as if there would be no good news at all today. Perhaps Ilia truly was gone forever. Link was beginning to doubt ever seeing her beautiful smiling face again.

Before they had gotten even a few yards away from where they'd started off, Link felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around violently, expecting more thugs wanting revenge. To his surprise, it was a young woman with a servant's slab around her neck and a large vase on her head. She had a look of curiosity on her face mixed with apology. Her words were soft so that neither Ashei nor Rusl knew that Link was no longer directly behind them. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle, but might your name be Link?"

The hylian was completely caught off guard by this question. Should he tell her, and risk being caught and becoming a _real_ slave, or say otherwise and ignore her? Her eyes seemed innocent, but he just wasn't sure. He decided to throw caution out. "Yes, it is."

A smile formed across her face at his response. The next words she said, however, would make Link's heart jump and his mind race. "I know where your friend, Ilia, is."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The little settlement was known as Desertshore. It was really more of an outpost than a settlement with a few humans making the occasional rounds about the place, but their main purpose was to help move supplies to and from the buko deserts. All other inhabitants were just buko. They seemed to not mind their condescending neighbors as much as was to be expected. Living on the edge would have meant starvation had they not assisted them. To the buko, life was more important than death, even if it was often through slavery.

There were others, however, who wished to enhance the lives of their kinsmen. They smuggled what precious little supplies they could. It was a noble cause, and they sought no compensation of any sort. All buko, whether they tolerated humans or no, appreciated their efforts.

Not all was perfect, though. The humans constantly searched for them; hunted them. But that was why the information they held was so good. They _had_ to know where everything was and where everyone was going. Though technically headquartered in Desertshore, there were never any meetings held there. Messages were simply carried back and forth as needed. If a gathering was necessary, they moved into their desert homelands. No human ever went there for it was far too hot for their comfort.

That was all going to change. Though not quite human, Shad and Auru had departed with the two buko into the desert. The sun was nearly down on the second day of their journey south. With darkness would come a cooler feel among the desert, but it was only relatively tolerable now. It was very different from Gerudo Desert; its blistering hot days were offset by the freezing cold nights. Still, the two hylians were thankful that they would meet at a time most sensible towards the heat.

Within another twenty minutes, they reached the meeting place. Aside from the two who brought them, there were four other buko seated around a large stone. It looked like it could have been the center of a campfire, except it was plenty warm already. As they approached, the smallest buko, whose back-scales were brighter than the others, made a gesture to them. They all stood up until their visitors had found their spots. Another gesture from the small one and they all sat down together. Then he finally spoke. "I am Grit, one of the leaders of our work to help our brethren. I trust your trip here was not rough.

Auru, always the diplomat, spoke first. "We ran into some small monsters you refer to as goriyas last night, but they were not too difficult to dispatch."

Grit nodded. "Brother Plino told me you seek information, correct?"

"It is as you've been told."

The small buko spoke in a firm, but not quite accusatory, tone. "We've had no dealings with near-humans such as yourselves before. Do you truly despise them as we do?"

"No we do not, but there are those who act inexcusably. Many of them will need to see the light, but there _are_ those that are not such vermin."

Grit made a bemused sound before responding. "I've yet to meet one that could at least make a difference for us. Perhaps you have friends in higher places?"

Auru inhaled deeply, ensuring he would not say anything he didn't mean. "Not here. In our native kingdom of Hyrule. The queen is a wise and benevolent ruler. Though she cannot assist us militarily, I know when we return we could sway her to help you if there is moral depravity against another of the goddesses' creatures."

"And why can't she help now?" Grit was quite inquisitive. "You have a bird that sends messages. Can you now have him courier one?"

"Yes, but there are certain restrictions to how long a message it can carry, and how far it can travel, but that matter is trivial. To be honest, we have no proof that Silidan has provoked us, and up until now, this injustice would only be a steppingstone to war. We'd like to avoid that if possible, especially since trying to move an army through the Ordona Woods is virtually impossible. What we can do is start sending you supplies at a more steady pace from the north. If you could set up an outpost there, you'll be in far greater hands than you are now."

"You mean you won't help overthrowing this tyrannical government?" The astonishment on Grit's face could not be hidden. Surely any reasonable person who saw their state would assist.

"It's not that we won't. We _can't_. We just recovered from a war of sorts just a year ago. Our soldiers are all but diminished, and those we have lack any skill or even courage to be of any use."

"But can't you yourselves stay and help?"

Auru turned to Shad, whom had sat quietly throughout the entire debate, listening intently. Now he looked at his older companion. It was a tricky ordeal, but what could they do? "My friends and I are too few to possibly have such an effect. Besides we are on a hunt for some renegade knights."

The buko suddenly began murmuring excitedly amongst themselves. Eventually they all hushed as Grit continued his near nonstop barrage of questions. This one, however, nearly caught Auru off guard. "Why would you hunt the renegades? They are amongst the few who fight the aristocracy that destroys everything."

"Perhaps I spoke hastily. We _believe_ them to be renegades. Some group of humans savagely murdered an entire village and burnt it down. We also believe only one young woman made it out alive, and my companions and I are hoping to find her. That is the event that led to our being here. As you recall, we can't prove who exactly provoked us, but someone from this land did. That's something else we'd appreciate if you'd help us discover."

Again the buko mumbled amongst themselves but took less time to respond. "You say you come from the northern forest?"

"Beyond it, but yes. A settlement used to be there."

"Very well. We propose a deal. We know you can't do much to fight the tyranny, but we ask that you stay and help. Who knows what good may come of it. If you do so, we will, in exchange, use an extensive amount of our resources to find what you desire right now. Will that suffice?"

Auru didn't take too long to contemplate his answer. "You are correct in that we can't do much alone, but yours is a noble endeavor. We'd be honored to help."

"Good! Then it's settled." The leader gestured all to stand. "It will of course take some time to pass word and to take account all possibilities. Expect to have to wait up to five days before you hear anything, and when you do, it may be a day or two old, but it will be good information, I guarantee it. I'm sure Plino will be happy to find safe quarter for you both while you wait."

"You have my thanks, Grit." Auru said bowing lowly.

"And you have ours, hylian friends." The way back to Desertshore felt much cooler than when they'd started.

* * *

Link had that dream again. Ilia was everywhere he looked, but constantly grew distant. He nearly jumped off the floor, sweat dripping down his brow. It took him a moment, but he eventually came to his senses, and even smiled slightly. Though a nightmare haunted him, he now had a great lead to find his beloved. Each night his doubts and fears had begun to creep into the backmost portions of his mind. Now, however, those feelings felt incredibly foreign and out of place.

Link paused for a second, remembering that he still needed to find out where she was. The girl he'd met only told him to meet her at a specific house around the time when the moon was at its peak. Since there was no device that could tell him what time it was, it had been up to Ashei, who was sitting on the only bed in the room, to stay up until the time had come. As he looked over to her he realized she'd been watching him for a little while with a disappointed look on her face.

"Link, if you're just going to wake up on your own, then I'm not gonna lie awake all night next time. You can do it yourself, yeah?"

"At least you sleep on the bed." Link retorted somewhat mockingly. "Besides, you've been enjoying watching us be miserable for the last two days. You can afford to suffer just a little bit."

Rusl, who had been sleeping next to Link, began to stir. The two hylians lowered their voices as to not wake him. "Well, take Harmless with you. Pretend you're just walking the dog."

"In the middle of the night?" Link asked sheepishly.

"Just get going. Harmless, go with him boy."

The large gray and black wolf opened it's eyes. After a quick stretch, yawn and shake, it began to follow Link out the door and down the stairs. Harmless was a very smart wolf, and took to Link very naturally. The hylian presumed that the canine could somehow tell that Link was once a wolf, or smelled like one, or something. Regardless of what it actually was, it proved to have more intelligence than the average beast. It could be domestic and calm if it so desired, or wild and fierce. Its three owners had to call it "Harmless" for the very simple fact that it wasn't.

Once the two were outside, they made their way to the decided meeting place. The streets were completely empty save for a couple beggars scattered along the street. There were a couple of taverns still open too. Some bustled with activity while others were more quiet, and simply hosting a few patrons. Link found himself staring up at the stars. For some reason, seeing stars with perfect clarity in Hyrule was a rare chance. Here, however, everything was clear.

Soon, the young man passed another block, and in the corner of his eye he found the house of which was described to him by the woman. In a matter of moments, he was next to the door, hidden by a large barrel. He looked up at the moon once more. It was definitely about that time, though there were no absolutes with such things. He merely sat and waited, hoping the girl would come soon.

Sure enough, after about fifteen minutes, a slender young woman opened the door and made her way towards the main street, carrying the same jug on her head as Link had seen her that afternoon. Link began to follow her, taking loud steps so that she knew he, or someone at least, was following her. Without even turning around, she replied. "Link?"

"Yes. You told me you knew-"

"Walk with me. My master needs more wine. We'll talk along the way." Link caught up with her, strolling along on her left side with Harmless trailing several feet back. Soon after they began, the woman spoke up again. "Yes, I know where she is, or rather who had her last I saw. I'm sorry if I'm too late or if it isn't enough. I don't know what you already know."

"I wasn't even sure she was alive until you told me. That alone was great news."

The woman smiled. "I'm glad."

There was a slight pause, which Link discontinued. "How did you come to meet her?"

"We were both being sold together. My parents owed great debts to a noble. In order to pay it off, my parents sold my sister and I to a slave trader." Link recalled Shad's brief lesson on the local slave trade just before she pressed on. "My sister was sold first. I haven't seen her in almost a week. I didn't know what would happen to me. I was really scared. All the girls I was with were scared too, except for one. At least, that's what we all thought. She _was_ scared, but she had faith someone would save her."

Link quickly put the pieces together. "She told you about me."

"Right. She was positive that you could save her. She spoke of a great many things that you had done up north. Spoke of a great evil that corrupted the land that you saved. Please excuse me if I find a lot of it hard to believe, but it certainly eased all our tension. Just seeing her smile made us all feel better about our situation." She suddenly stopped for a moment in front of a tavern. "Wait out here. I'll just be a second."

Link nodded, and stood back patiently. He needed to soak this new information in. _Just seeing her smile made us all feel better_, he recalled the girl say adding on in his mind, _she has that effect on people_. He was extremely grateful that Ilia was alive, and even more so that she was in good health and spirit. It was a great relief off of his mind. Now all he needed to do was to find her. The girl so far had only explained how they had met, so he expected that next they would discuss where she was. As he impatiently waited the girl's return, he silently hoped that she was nearby and still safe.

Within another minute, the girl had returned, the jug on top of her head now full of wine. Link couldn't contain his excitement. He rushed over to her and asked, "Where is Ilia now?"

"Calm down, Link." She began to walk again back to the house. "We were both sold to separate buyers. You know where mine is now, but she was sold to a traveling merchant just before me. He had convinced our buyer that her unique features could get him more money elsewhere. Very persistent, he was."

Link stopped walking with her. That sounded familiar. "Was his name Sanducci?"

The woman turned to face him. "You know him?"

"We just saw him today trying to buy _me_ off!" Link almost lost it. She was right in their hands, and they let her slip away.

"She wasn't on his display?"

"We saw him walking in the streets alone. I guess he was already planning to leave. Finding him is going to be difficult."

"Maybe not. I hear he is a big seller. There must be many regular buyers who know his scheduled route."

Link paused again to contemplate that. Unless the man had already sold her, she was still with the merchant, who'd be traveling to other places to sell her. At least they had a trail to follow. Perhaps things were not as bleak as he had suddenly made them out to be. And just a minute before he was thanking the goddesses of her near return.

"I'm sorry I can't help you anymore," The girl had begun to walk back again. "But I must return to my master now."

Link caught up to her and began trudge alongside her again. Another minute or so passed until another question dawned on him. "Hold on. How were the two of you put together? Ilia was stolen away by knights. Did they sell her to your merchant as well?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. My seller had her given to him by another man. He may have been a knight though he did not wear any armor. They spoke casually to each other, or so it appeared to me, and the man simply gave her to him."

So were these men renegades? Link wasn't sure anymore. His journey was clearly nowhere close to being over. The girl clearly enjoyed her short company with Ilia that she cared enough to pass the information off to him. "Thank you for everything. Is there something I can do for you?"

She nodded this time. "Yes. My sister, Ani, if you see her, tell her I'm all right. My master, though demanding, is fair with me."

"Will I recognize her, and what is your name, by the way?"

The girl turned red at the realization. "Oh dear! I'm sorry I forgot to even mention who I was. My name is Tani, and Ani is my twin. You'll recognize her, and she's supposed to have been sold to a worker in Clifftown far to the east of here. If you find yourself over there, please look for her."

"I will." They arrived at the house of Tani's master, and said their good-byes. Link and Harmless quickly made their way back to their inn. The owners were still asleep, just the same as when they left. Sneaking back into the room was no problem for them; though closing the door to the room was a bit more difficult to keep down. Ashei sprung out of her bed with sword in hand. It was rather comical, but the serious look in her face suggested she honestly had thought otherwise up until she realized what was actually going on. When she recognized him, she sighed with disappointment.

"And I had just fallen asleep too. Next time, you're all on your own." Harmless sprang towards Ashei and hopped on the bed in front of her. It had an inquisitive look on it's face. "And I suppose _you_ want to sleep on the bed, yeah?"

The wolf's eyes widened and he began to whine pathetically, trying all it could to appeal to her. Ashei just rolled her eyes as she laid back down again. "Oh, shut up, Harmless."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Link wasn't able to sleep the rest of the night. His mind was firmly set on Ilia. Nothing could sway him from her at that time knowing that she was alive and well. Despite the possibility that that could change at any time, being that she was in the company of a merchant trying to sell her at every stop he'd make, Link had hope that he could find her before any ill became of her.

When the sun finally came up, Link began preparing all their belongings so that he and his friends could leave. All their gear had to be crammed inside a pair of travel bags to avoid suspicion. Everything had fit except for the swords and Ashei's longbow which had been hidden inside a thick, rolled up blanket.

Harmless, who had sneaked back on the bed last night, began to stir at the sound of Link moving. It stretched with great lengths and hopped off the bed. Ashei twisted, feeling the shift in weight, but did not wake. The wolf moved to Link, wagging its tail. The hylian smiled at it, but silently kept packing. It clearly wanted more attention, so it began to whine at him. This time, Link didn't ignore him.

"What is it that you like about me?" He asked, half hoping it would actually respond. Of course the canine wouldn't speak. However, the wolf did react. Its front right paw reached out and touched Link's left hand, right where his Triforce was. The young man looked puzzled, contemplating whether or not that was a coincidence or not. He looked at Harmless and swore that there was seriousness in his eyes. "Maybe I needn't ask."

Harmless responded happily with a loud bark.

Rusl nearly leapt off the floor, and Ashei just sighed in contempt. She clearly was not enjoying their new companion. "Why did we take the wolf in the first place, again? All he's done is wake me up and annoy me."

Rusl shook his head to make the ringing in his ears stop. He tried to brighten the mood that morning with a reply. "At least he's good at it. Not to mention I think Link likes him a lot. Probably likes him back."

Ashei didn't seem to care. She slowly was making her way behind the dressing screen to change into her day clothes. "Well I won't say 'that makes one of us,' but it seems infatuated with him. I mean, Link? I know you sorta got that connection with them, but wolves normally run in packs, yeah? So why hasn't he tried to find his orig- Aah!"

Both Link and Rusl spun instantly in Ashei's direction. They both spoke the same words simultaneously. "What happened?"

"Harmless just intruded on my personal space! How is your nose so cold, you mutt?"

"It looks to me that it's infatuated with you too." Link commented.

Rusl let out a long and hardy laugh. Though hidden behind the screen, Ashei was blushing deeply. She finally resigned her position. "I guess I can stow my reserves on him for now. But I swear, this incident better not happen again, you hear me, boy?"

Harmless barked happily once more.

Ashei moved more quickly getting changed. Link had finished packing everything while Rusl washed his face in the water basin. As he dried his face, he gazed at the mirror in front of him. In an instant, he felt something odd about it. He squinted at it, trying to determine what it could possibly be. It really befuddled him. "Does this mirror look awkward to anyone else?"

Link took a look for himself. "There is something off-setting about it. I'm finding it hard to describe."

Ashei was the last to check, still putting on her jewelry. "Huh. Isn't that weird? It's kinda like it's hollow."

"Hollow?" Link inquired.

"Well you said it's hard to describe. The people of Silidan are so conceited I wouldn't be surprised if they have somehow magically altered their mirrors to make them look better. So I say that it's a hollow reflection." Link and Rusl glared at her in astonishment. "What? I can be observant too, yeah? Just because I'm aggressive doesn't me-"

Ashei couldn't finish her sentence because there was a light tapping on the door. The three travelers looked at each other as if silently having a conversation. It was their morning meal, and Ashei had yet to put on her hair net. She rushed back to her bed to grab it and hurried to fit it on properly, shouting as she did so, "Wait one minute!"

Though Ashei's hood perfectly covered her ears in public, she had to wear a unique hair-net indoors that could pin her ears underneath her hair. It was a bit peculiar to gaze upon, but fancy enough to go with her cover. Once she had it properly placed, she nodded at Rusl to open the door. A middle-aged matron came in with a large tray of food. Ashei motioned her to put it down on the bed, as there was no table in the room. It was not the lady's custom to serve breakfast in bed, but Ashei had paid her extra, indicating her desire of privacy. Besides which, Ashei appeared to be a noble, and they had tendencies to expect special treatment anyway. She didn't even question why her two slaves were receiving full meals as opposed to the normal slave's grub. She just curtsied politely and left, closing the door behind her.

Rusl checked the door just to be sure she wasn't snooping on them. He gave a confirming nod that it was safe, so they all moved to the bed to eat. They had yet to hear what Link had learned of Ilia and were anxious to hear. Before he could begin, however, Harmless began to whine. They'd forgotten to feed him.

"I've got it." Rusl said, getting up briefly to feed their pet. He picked up some raw meat they'd bought yesterday and tossed it on the floor next to the wolf. The canine dove in hungrily. "If we've rationed this properly, he'll have enough to eat for another three days."

"I wouldn't worry about that." Link interjected. "If we're on the road, we're bound to run into some small animals. He'll be fine eating anything that  
crosses our path."

"Just as long as he doesn't bring a half-eaten carcass with us, yeah?" Ashei commented, eagerly eating some eggs. Just because she accepted Harmless didn't mean she had to enjoy it fully. "Anyway, Link, what'd the girl have to say about Ilia?"

Link finished gulping down his food before responding. "They were to be sold as slaves. One of the traveling merchants has her."

"She give a name?" Ashei asked, at which Link responded with a question of his own. "Remember that guy who tried to buy Rusl and I off of you?"

Ashei almost choked on her next bite. "That nut job? And he's already gone? Well isn't that just dandy? Now we'll have to find someone who knows his travel routes."

"That's what she told me. Thing is, he's got a very specific trail he follows. Any regular buyer should know it, but after our tour yesterday, I think there's only one guy we know who might trust you."

Ashei didn't even bother to ask who he was referring to. She knew he meant Luc Ergizt and instantly hated the idea. "Couldn't we find someone else? I'm sure my _unique_ charms could lure a different animal besides wolves."

Link chuckled mildly at the innuendo. "Maybe your charms are _too_ unique, but this guy is a sure bet. He's bound to tell you whatever you want."

"Maybe, but he's a bargainer. He'll want something in return, specifically me."

"He can't ask for that much, and there's no guarantee you'll even need to give him whatever he wants. Might be able to sneak away before that happens."

Ashei sighed in acceptance. She could have gone on longer, but now just didn't seem the time to do so. As soon as they finished eating, they checked out of the inn, ready to leave town at a moments notice. If they were lucky, Luc would drop the information with ease.

* * *

Luck wasn't on their side.

Ashei found herself wandering about a small coliseum-like building. It was similar to the arena in the Diamond, but much smaller and cruder. Instead of the circular view of the inside, it was a box. But that was not important. What _was important _was that Luc promised to give the information if she promised to go to a show with him. Perhaps these people _did_ have some culture to them, she thought to herself.

Just before the show, Ashei and the others had finally received a message through Cranis. Auru and Shad were going to be a while, so they were encouraged to pursue Ilia until they heard from them again. Rusl prepared a message to send back indicating everything that had transpired up until they received it, so Auru would know to keep an eye out for Ilia should they somehow see her before they do.

Everything was fine and set, now all Ashei needed to do was get Luc to talk and everything would be perfect. She took some stairs to find her seat. Just as planned, Luc was there waiting for her. He was even more sharply dressed than before; surely he was gentleman. He had donned a white dress blouse with frills underneath a sky blue coat of soft silks. It went well with his golden blond hair, almost tempting Ashei. But she had a job to do, and that was far more important. Besides which, she was hylian.

Once in her seat, Luc struck up conversation. "Red dress suits you beautifully."

Ashei did her best to keep her cover, looking uninterested. "And what've you brought me to see?"

Luc momentarily looked surprised, but recovered. "Ah, that's right. It's your first time here. Your brother Lian normally comes here, right?"

_"Liam_; and yes that's right. You've yet to answer my question."

"Well, I like to surprise."

"And I _don't_ like it."

Luc must have been crazy for chasing after a girl like Ashei, but he played along. "It's brawl night at the Triscent. Thought you'd like to see some of _my_ slaves fight to the death."

Almost as if on cue, the lower entrance opened up and ten warriors stepped out. They had no weapons, no armor, and practically no clothes. They all created a perimeter around the walls. All of them had superior muscular builds, undoubtedly from numerous fights before. Ashei found it difficult not to stare, but she gave Luc a nod of approval.

After another minute of silence, a woman wandered onto the scene. She was strikingly beautiful, with long black hair, a slender body and plenty of curves. She too was almost naked, but what made Ashei worry most was that she stood directly in the center, and she was shaking uncontrollably. Ashei had to ask, "Why is she there?"

A big devilish grin streaked Luc's face, and any thoughts that Ashei had that Luc might have been civil vanished when he said, "She's the prize."

Ashei's face turned pale, and there was no hiding it. Luc took note. "Something bother you about that? You've two slaves yourself, don't you have them for-"

"No!" She didn't mean to shout, but it mattered little. The crowds in the stands had begun to make noise again, so she was not heard outside of Luc. "I mean, not like _that_. I use them to do all things for me."

Luc was genuinely confused. "You mean...you don't use them to serve you sexually?"

Ashei took a brief pause, trying to come up with an answer that would let her out of her jam. "I...how do I explain it? To me, sex will always be lacking if there is no love before it."

Now Luc was speechless. It didn't quite add up for him. It kept him busy for a little, giving Ashei some breathing room. A gong soon sounded nearby, indicating that the fight had begun.

This kind of fight began far more quickly than the duels in the arena, and they lasted much longer too. The ten warriors were on each other instantly, but a fight to the death with no weapons would take quite some time to resolve. Ashei looked on in disgust, still eyeing the frightened girl in the center. She wished she could help, but she knew that it was impossible.

"I hope you don't assume that I endorse this behavior." Luc chimed in, still trying whatever he could to win her over. It seemed her ploy worked, but she was no closer to getting what she needed from him. Clearly, he was an idiot. "I trust that won't affect our relationship."

Ashei broke her gaze to look at him, the smug glance still on his face. "Our relationship? I sit through the show with you and you tell me where Sanducci is going. Speaking of which, I'd appreciate it if you told me now."

"Let's wait a little first. It looks like some of the warriors are getting tired already." Luc tried to play it smooth. Almost nonchalantly, he put his own arm around her. She glanced at it, but tried to ignore his advance. "Why don't you take your hood off and let me see your glorious hair?"

_Glorious_? Ashei thought to herself. "I'm a bit chilly right now. I'd like to keep it on."

Luc chuckled casually. "Aw come on! If anything, it's a little warm right now, but if you asked me nicely, I'll gladly keep you cozy."

His free hand began to creep up inside her hood. She grabbed it quickly and with force. "Don't! Did you _not_ hear me?"

He just laughed playfully again, pretending nothing was wrong. "That's the fiery lass I saw yesterday! Keep it up and I'll guarantee we'll have some fun."

He continued to bring his hand up, only slightly more powerful than she. Ashei had to give up before she had no strength left at all. Before the human could pull her hood back, he felt it. He traced his finger over the long pointed ear. Just before he could react, a long pointed object was being shoved at his back. "If you value your life, I suggest you remove your hands from my body."

Luc slowly withdrew his hands and arms and placed them casually on his lap. He tried to take a peek behind to see if she really had a blade, but she dug it deeper at his back, so he stopped. He still held his grin for second, as the pieces finally came together for him. Then slowly, he began to lose his composure as the anger quietly built inside of him. There was an inhumanly quality to him now, which even Ashei began to fear. If she didn't get the information quickly, he was likely to snap.

"I should have known." He spoke through gritted teeth. "All this time, I've been deceived by a long-eared freak!"

"Keep your voice down! Now you're going to tell me where I can find Sanducci, or I'll put you in more pain than your slaves down there." She slowly moved her dagger up and down his spine, as a silent reminder.

Luc pondered for a moment, determining if he should tell her. Whether he still feared pain at the moment, was too insane to care, or still felt some dignity and thought he still owed her, Ashei could not tell, but his eyes spoke the truth. "He's taken the north road out. He goes west around the four castle towns before he comes right back here again."

Ashei nodded to herself, since he was still facing forward. Luc, however, wasn't quite finished yet. "But you're done here. I'll let everyone know what you are."

"I'd kill you first."

"Then I'll work fast." At that instant he tried to stand up and shout at the top of his lungs. Ashei did the only thing she could think to stop him. She stood up with him and covered his mouth with hers in a deep kiss. She kissed him as hard as she could to keep him quiet while her dagger drove deep inside him. Eventually, his eyes rolled back, so she let him go just before setting him back down.

The crowds were still too wild and into the fight below to notice the murder that had just been committed, but she did not want to press her already failing luck. She swiftly made her way back down the stairs and out of the coliseum. Once out, she rushed to the gate leading out to where Link and Rusl waited with horses ready. When they realized how fast she was going, they knew there was trouble.

"What happened?" Link asked.

"We need to leave. Now!" Without a moment to lose, she jumped on her horse. As she did so, she noticed the lack of a certain canine companion. "Where's Harmless?"

"He ran off just a second ago out into the wilds." Rusl answered, pulling his right leg over his horse. "Don't even have a clue as to why."

"Well, we can't wait for him. If he wants to find us, he'll track us. We're going to take the north road, and we've got no more time to spend here."

Shortly, the three foreigners left the city of Denalet for what they hoped to be the last time.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

After an entire night of travel, the trio from Hyrule eventually took a moment to slow down and recuperate. Though still uncertain if any were following, it was decided to not take any chances. It did not take too long that next day to find themselves nearing the first village, protected by a small keep under the protection of the House of Tekran. They did not wish to enter that day, for they were still exhausted and had not slept, so they took to the nearby woods. As they slowly sauntered deeper within, the trees began to change from simple oak to an unknown type that bore fruit. Deeper still, the trees had been lined up in rows, indicating they were planted and tended to. Eventually, they reached an old and abandoned farm, presumably the source of the trees. It was just far enough out of the way for the three to retire for the rest of the afternoon as well as the night to come.

Link slept well the entire time. Ever since he heard word that Ilia was alive, he took comfort. The dark and vengeful feelings that bore down on his mind when he had begun the journey had disappeared like a vague memory. No more was he feeling down and depressed, he felt well and balanced. Granted the deaths of his other friends still attempted to cloud his thoughts, but just knowing that there was a light at the end of the tunnel was enough for him to find his strength. It was a feeling he missed, and now he relished it more than ever.

Before long, the sun began to rise. Its light began to shine through the slits in the splintered wall of the barn that Link was resting in. It brought him back to the present. He took a moment to remind himself that there was still work to be done. Ilia was not safe yet, but she _was_ alive. Today, he thought, he and his friends would explore the town and look for Ilia. How he longed to feel her warm embrace and kiss her deeply. No other feeling in the world felt better than that.

_Gurgle!_ Of course, he thought, hunger wins over love for the present. It was time to eat, and he wanted to try the fruits that were growing around the farm. He recalled Ashei admiring them earlier; perhaps she'd like to help pick them up too. He looked over to where his companions were lying down nearby, but to his surprise they weren't there. They were both gone.

Link quickly looked about the loft for any signs of them, but he couldn't see anything. Did people from Denalet catch up to them? If they were captured, wouldn't he have been taken too? Were they already out of the barn when it happened? _Were_ Ashei and Rusl even captured? So many questions floated through his mind, but none quite led to a direct answer as to where they were. As he was beginning to cancel out possibilities, he heard someone coming.

Link heard heavy footsteps, most likely from armored boots, strolling through the main doors. He couldn't see who was making the noise from where he was, so he slowly and carefully crawled to the edge of the loft to take a peek. It was armored boots all right, but whose? Leaning further over the edge, he finally put the face to the sound. It was Ashei, with a basket full of fruit. He sighed in relief seeing that nothing was wrong.

Then the floor gave way and he fell.

In hindsight, he should have been grateful he landed on Ashei instead of on the hard ground. Chances were he'd have broken something, but he was safe. Ashei, on the other hand, had the air knocked clear out of her. It took them both time to recover from the fall, but they soon were recuperating. Still underneath Link, Ashei asked, "Is it just a ritual now that we can't wake up normally anymore, that we have to have something weird happen?"

Link tried to shrug his shoulders, but found it too difficult in his position. "Sorry, I was just being cautious. Wasn't sure where you and Rusl had gone."

Ashei sighed. "Always the optimist, aren't you? Well I went to get some breakfast, and Rusl went ahead towards the town. He figured it was best if he asked around about Sanducci and Ilia, being the only human and all."

"Okay." Link nodded his head in understanding. He then turned his head to the basket of fruit nearby; its contents spilled onto the ground. "I hope the fruit's still good."

"I do too." There was a slight pause before she spoke again. "Mind letting me up now?"

He looked down as if to confirm he was even there, then quickly fixed that. He also helped her get up to her feet in the process, being responsible for her position. After doing so, he looked up at the loft. The small section where he was previously lying on was the only section that had broken off. "Guess we should have checked this place a little more carefully."

Ashei didn't respond. She was picking up her basket and examining the fruit. Most that had fallen were bruised, so she left them alone. After a final count, there were enough for each to have both found them to be quite enjoyable. They were sweet with a slight tang to them. After only two, they were both feeling restored, but the two hylians wanted to keep eating.

Link took that moment to ponder on the beauty of the land. The majority of the road they had recently traversed consisted mostly of ordinary plains, making it difficult for him to enjoy the long rides on his horse. Back in Hyrule, he thought, the land was more vibrant. Granted, the colors rarely changed, but the land itself was of an intriguing design with its hills, cliffs, and waters. Those plains, however, were too simplistic.

This area, on the other hand, reminded him far more of Hyrule than he would yet to see in Silidan. Despite the flat landscape of the orchard, the surrounding trees and small ponds, gave the land a more distinct flair. Then there were the animals. Small, furry creatures constantly darted to and from the entire area, adding the touch of life that was also lacking on the plains. He was quite content with the land here, and pondered on who might have been there before they had arrived.

Ashei, however, had found herself staring at Link for the majority of the meal. At first he didn't notice, but she eventually made her actions clear. "Okay, Link, I've gotta ask you an honest question."

Link glanced up to her. "All right."

Ashei took a deep breath. "How can you just sit there with absolutely nothing to say?"

Link looked puzzled. "What do you mean? I just mentioned the loft probably should-"

"No, no. That's not what I mean. You see, you never really strike up a conversation unless you want to give or get information. You might toss in a line once in a while, but you seem . . . kind of boring. Don't you ever like to just shoot the breeze every once in a while?"

He shrugged. "Sure, I guess. Did you _want_ to talk?"

"Well, it's probably going to be a long day with nothing to do, so yeah."

"Okay . . . what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, what do _you_ want to talk about?"

Link paused for quite a while, trying to come up with an answer. He never really realized how little he participated in conversation. The thought never occurred to him that he might just be a really boring person. That is to say, he knew he was not really good at talking normally, but that was something different. Eventually, Ashei just saved him the effort.

"Never mind. Forget I asked. Let me try something. Your first trip to the Castle in the Sky, you fought that dragon, right?" Link just nodded. "Okay, what was it like, fighting a dragon, I mean?"

"Uh . . . difficult. Wasn't sure what to do at first, so I mostly kept my distance until some ideas come to mind. Then I just did as best as I could to implement them."

"Were you ever afraid?"

"No, not really. Just cautious. I mean, who knew what could have happened if I fell. Fear just gets in the way."

And just like that, the conversation was already over. The two finished the last of their fruit in silence. Link did his best to come up with a worthwhile conversation, but it simply was more difficult than he thought. How did anyone ever have a conversation with him before?

"Oh, please! Really?" Ashei stammered in frustration. "How do you normally get along with people? What do you do with Ilia all day? You do talk to each other, yeah?"

That was a good question, but it helped jog Link's memory. "Well, she does most of the talking. I usually just listen to her, and give advice or help on a problem."

"Wow. How long can she go for?"

It sounded accusatory, but he knew she meant no offense, just as always. "A long time. She'd tell me about troubles with her father, her dreams to move into the city, pretty much everything."

"And you just listen and consul her?"

"Pretty much. It's sometimes like a puzzle, finding what her problem was and creating a solution. I'm good with puzzles."

"Huh. Interesting. Maybe I should try it. Would you mind consoling me?"

Link smiled politely. "Of course not. You've been acting kind of awkward lately anyway."

"What me? Acting different?" She stated in a sarcastic tone.

"I just mean you've been more aggressive after reading those two letters in your pack."

Now Ashei knew what he was talking about. "Oh. I _would_ say that's none of your business, but I guess that would negate the whole 'consul me' thing, wouldn't it? All right, I trust you."

Ashei moved a little closer to Link, perhaps an involuntary reflex to make the conversation feel more private. Link understood regardless. "I'm glad to know that. Am I at least correct that it's about your father?"

"Right on the mark so far. Perhaps I should explain everything from the beginning.

"You see, as a knight of Hyrule, it's very important to have the family name carried on from father to son. Obviously, he has no sons. I'm an only child, which wouldn't have been a problem had not my mother died giving birth to me. So my father had lost two things he desired most because of me. At first, he blamed me, but I was too young to recall. Eventually, he decided to try to make the best of me. He loved me like my mother, but hardened me like a son. I had two roles to fill in his life, and it wasn't easy. Far too often he demanded more than I could give.

"Father tried speaking with the king, before the whole Twilight Incident, about letting me carry the family name, but he denied it. Funny, considering the fact that his daughter was going to do the very same thing after he was to die. So, with the chances of me continuing the family name completely gone, father settled for just one demand: the one I just can't do."

"He wants you to care for him," Link interjected. "To stay at his side until he passes."

Ashei nodded. Link was a lot faster than he appeared to be. "But I enjoy living my life outside the confines of his keep. I really do love him, but I've just begun to really live. I don't want to spend the early years of my life just watching father slowly die."

Link pondered all she said, making sure everything was correct. Then he began to ask questions. "Hasn't your father tried finding a new wife at any of this time?"

Ashei stifled a laugh. "He said he would, but that no woman could have possibly loved him as much as mother did, so 'why bother?'"

"You mean he's never even tried?" Ashei shook her head. "Well, maybe it's time he did."

The young woman no hung her head low. "It's too late for that now. Dad's sick."

Link realized why she was slowly losing her composure. She really did love him, but having to choose between your own life and some else's is no easy task. After all, he pretty much used her for her first eighteen or so years of her life. Was it fair to demand her for the rest of his? "How bad is he?"

"We don't know. It's something different; we've never seen it before. He might die from it, or recover shortly. I want dad to live, but does that mean everything else in my life must suffer?"

It took a little more time to respond, but Link thought he had the solution. "You know, I spent over a year helping rebuild Hyrule after stopping Ganondorf. All I could think about was how much I wanted to spend that time with Ilia, but I couldn't. That's because the desires of the many outweigh the desires of the few. What I was doing was more important than what I wanted. Even as I wished I wasn't doing it, I knew what had to be done.

"What we're doing right now, could involve the people of not only our kingdom, but these people's kingdom as well. As much as your d- . . . _father_ wants you, or you want him, this takes pertinence over anything."

"And what about after we're done here?"

"If he's still sick, go see him. Because, he'll need someone who cares for him at his side. You can discuss it with him then. If he isn't, well, you should still talk to him about it. Try to see it from his perspective, but remind him that you have one too. But most importantly, tell your father that you still love him."

Having finished his statement, he sat in silence letting Ashei absorb all she could from what he said. He hoped she took what he said in the correct light and that she would make right decision. He then decided he should probably leave her alone for a second, so he got up to leave. Ashei, however, quickly got up with him. "Hey, thanks. That really did make me feel better."

Link smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. "It's a pleasure of mine to help others."

Ashei then returned the smile, and then began to walk out of the barn. She saw that the sun had risen higher than before, but not by much. "Wow. Time is still moving along like a snail. Well, maybe then we should . . . practice for a little bit?"

Link wasn't quite sure what she meant. "Practice what? You mean fighting?"

"Yes, sword fighting. What else would we practice? You know I haven't faced you in a duel since that first time after meeting you. I'd like to challenge you again sometime."

"Well, I suppose we can spend some time doing that. Let me grab my shield."

Link climbed back up the loft where he left his old hylian shield lying against a haystack. Ashei called up to him from below. "While you're up there, grab that sword I won from those amateurs."

"You mean _we_ won, but I'll get it."

As he finished grabbing both items, he carefully made his way back down off the loft. He tossed the sword over to the woman who began swinging it mildly to get a feel for it. She then pulled out her lighter sword at her side and compared the two. "It's a lot heavier than I thought, but I'm not going to use both hands for just this."

"You thinking of using both at the same time?" Link had now pulled out his sword and was doing some counter drills.

"Why not? It'll give me a wider spectrum of attacks." Ashei had begun swinging both swords in sets of diagonal slices.

"To sacrifice some defense. If you had two that were identical, that'd nullify that." The man knelt in his best guard position.

"Well I don't, and I still want a shorter faster blade in my off-hand." The woman showed off her quick thrusts.

"Suit yourself, but since you're a full warrior, don't take offense if I don't go easy on you." Now he stood in his basic battle stance.

"Oh, don't you worry about me; I expect nothing less from a _hero_." Now she followed in example with her own battle stance.

The two practiced for a great length of time with their worries put aside at last.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Time on Desertshore crept equally slow. It was the third day that Shad and Auru waited. No word had yet arrived about the renegades, and Cranis only returned last night with the message from Link. Auru had to spend his time constructing a number of possible strategies to use against the oppressive monarchy. All of them pointless and ill-based without any specifics on troops, supplies and other necessities to start a rebellion. He needed to find the renegades, not only for answers, but for future goals. If what the buko said was true, then they were their friends, not their enemies.

Auru pressed his fingers against his temples hopelessly trying to relieve the pain building his head. Another plan was scratched as a fellow buko informed him that the Silidan military incorporated magic-wielders to prevent volleys of arrows and the like. These magic-wielders were causing more plan rewrites than anything else. Their list of abilities continued to astound him. It seemed almost unnecessary to even have a Silidan military with them around.

"Where did these beings come from?" Auru asked Purk, a taller and brighter furred buko, who assisted him with his plans. "I haven't read about them in any of the history books in Hyrule. Were they with you all along, or did they travel from afar?"

"I could not tell you. It's a mystery even to us. Our own histories indicate that they simply appeared. We think they've been conducting the kingdom from behind the scenes ever since their showing."

"And when was that?"

"A little over two hundred years ago."

This seemed to much of a coincidence for Auru. That would place their appearance around the same time as their two kingdoms severed their ties. If they _were_ manipulating the kingdom as Purk indicated, it was very probable that they were the real enemy, and that defeating them would be the greatest achievement. Before delving to deeply into those thoughts, another one popped into his mind prompting another question. "Would these wizards happened to wear large robes that cover themselves?"

Purk nodded. "All of them. That is how they have been called wizzrobes by the common folk. Do you think you've seen one?"

Auru was recalling the similarly clad figure whispering in the ear of the emperor when he first met him. "Yes. It was able to sway the emperor to not kill us. Makes me wonder."

"How so?" The buko was very confused.

Auru stopped his work on his next plot to explain it. "These . . . wizzrobes are running the kingdom, right? Since they first showed up at least. But what is their motive? If they caused the isolation, the raid, and our survival to possibly inquire them, what could they possibly gain? Do they doubt our ability to stop them from whatever it is they intend to do?"

The buko was understanding, now perhaps more so than Auru. "Perhaps your presence _is_ hindering them, but they can't act yet."

Auru pondered this. A very plausible situation. When the intentions are unknown, an enemy's movements will always seem erratic. Planning would go more smoothly if only he could tell what they were thinking. If they're running everything, then all the events involving this kingdom would be their doing. Perhaps it will all add up if he could get that. "Are any of your history books here that I can study?"

Purk gave an odd look, supposedly one of an unsure response Auru had been explained of, and responded. "Yes, but they're only of our own migration and dealings with the Silidan, not with Silidan as a whole."

"Well, I suppose I'll be visiting Shad." He stood up from the chair he was sitting at. Shad was a couple houses over the other side of the village under the watchful eyes of Grit. Whenever Shad wasn't absorbing the knowledge of his new books, he was constantly asking Grit questions about anything from their personal appearance to odd beliefs. Only once had Auru seen him leave that house, but considering the heat, it was understandable to stay inside for those who weren't buko.

As expected, Shad was seated at a table with the elderly buko interrogating him. Grit was almost relieved to see the older hylian walk in. "I must admit, Auru, when your friend came to the meeting three nights ago, I'd thought him to be quiet and shy. Now I see he was just being polite."

Shad had now turned to see his companion sit next to him at the wooden table. A smile streaked across his face as he spoke. "I'm really glad I came with you. This is far safer and quieter than Denalet."

"According to Link, things were going quite smoothly there." Auru retorted, not fully aware what had happened after Cranis had left their company. "I actually need your help with something."

"Well, you know I appreciate being needed. What do you have?"

"In those books of yours, do they mention wizzrobes?"

Grit made a grunting noise, but chose not to speak. Shad was eager to respond. "Oh, yes! Quite extensively! At least, it sort of does. Quite fascinating, really.

"You see, the author, Mandrakos Fears, has detailed quite a bit that they are most assuredly the driving force behind this kingdom. They have an ulterior motive most nefarious in the works, but at the point of publishing this, he isn't sure what it is."

"Did you not think this was important before? We're trying to plan a war, and that would have been most useful."

Shad breathed in through his teeth, a sign indicating he realized he'd made a mistake. "Sorry. I guess I'm just to absent-minded to remember what you need."

"Well, we're dealing with it now, no point in worrying about it anymore." He patted Shad on the back, helping him feel better about himself before continuing his own questions. "When was his book published?"

"Ahh . . ."Shad couldn't recall it exactly, so he went off to grab his book nearby. After flipping through one, he finally answered. "Two years ago."

"And how accurate are his findings? I want to make sure it isn't just a conspiracy theory."

Oh, he's got quite enough evidence. It's no question that they've been 'advising' a number of the different lords if Silidan, as they have made their presence known. But it was all based on their manipulations that the lords finally united under the emperor and his rule. Now that they have unified, their strength has increased tenfold, ensuring that Silidan cannot be crushed by any other kingdoms. With a proper defense created, law could finally be held. No more did the people act in small communities. They interacted amongst-

"Shad, don't get distracted. Focus on the wizzrobes."

"Sorry, I just get so excited."

"It's okay." Auru patted him on the back again, this time for the sake of focus. "So the wizzrobes helped unite the kingdom. How did they take control of the emperor?"

"Why, the emperor at the time was originally just another lord from one of the houses. He was quite the charmer, it says, and he united them all claiming that a war with Hyrule would be imminent if they did not stand together. Of course, no such war ever occurred. They were cut off instead."

"What could have happened that caused that?"

"It was the forest. Though Faron Woods were already present, they weren't as dense as they are now. Ordona didn't even exist. It is believed that the great spirits of Hyrule produced the forest as a natural defense against an invasion."

Auru took all this information in. If Silidan had any intention of attacking, a thick forest would stop any army, especially if the only other option was to go through the Yarna Wasteland, an even more desolate and lifeless place than both the gerudo desert or the lands of the buko. However, he found the idea to be a bit too convenient. "Did the wizzrobes try burning or chopping the forest down?"

"Yes, but all recorded accounts indicate that the wind would always blow south whenever they tried fire, and the trees would become harder than iron if they tried to cut them down. Mandrakos believes that the spirits must have worked together to do this."

"Are the spirits normally capable of such magic?" Grit injected himself back into the conversation. Auru added to the thought. "From what Link has told us, they seemed quite helpless from the twili attacks."

"Well, according to even our own histories, spirits of their nature could commune with each other, and work together, becoming stronger and therefor more capable. Even Silidan has spirits with which ours could commune with."

"Did they?"

"Not sure, but it is very possible. If Link could get them to help, that would really bolster our support against the wizzrobes."

So much information, Auru found himself rubbing his temples again. "Okay, so the wizzrobes not only united the lords but found a charismatic leader. It's all an attempt to strike Hyrule, backfired when a defensive illusion became real, preventing them from doing so as they originally desired. It's a bit convoluted, but I can see that happening. What's been happening since then?"

"Honestly, very little. At least little to be seen. Aside from the buko asking for help, most of their time has been spent keeping everything together. Without the threat of Hyrule, the houses simply want things to go back to the way they were: every house an individual. The current renegades are on the first to strike against. Several small bands have tried to slay the emperor, but all have failed. Even rumors have become scarce. The only lead is an incredibly heavy outpost to the northeast by the border near a city called Clifftown."

"I suspect that going there, or getting information even, is out of the question for the time being." Both Grit and Shad nodded for different reasons. "Well, what about the current emperor? Is he any different than the others?"

"He's actually from a different family than the original emperor line. In an attempt to bolster their own to stay united, they encouraged the current emperor to overthrow the old one. He's an incredible warrior, supposedly peerless throughout the land. The plan worked for a little while, but as the evidence of renegades points out, it isn't lasting."

"Ugh. Every time I think I'm getting close to putting all the pieces together, something new botches it up." Auru started to ponder for a while, trying to find a probable cause for everything that has happened. The one piece of the puzzle that didn't quite fit was the raid. Perhaps the wizzrobes weren't responsible, and perhaps the renegades were. He needed answers and all he got was more questions. "I think I understand most of it, but it might still have some holes."

"What do you think?" Shad was most curious of the outcome Auru was indicating.

"If the wizzrobes are losing control of the kingdom, then they're going to need to find something to bring everybody back together. They need to convince them to go to war with us again, and they could use us. This could explain why they let us go, but not if they still haven't found a way past the forest. However, if they _do_ find us conspiring against the emperor, like we are now, they will undoubtedly bring the people together and get them to ready to fight Hyrule." A new thought suddenly dawned on him. "We're in no condition to fight. We're just making this situation worse if we stay here. We . . . might just have to leave."

Shad was astonished at Auru's reasoning. He _couldn't_ possibly suggest leaving now. "But like you said, they still can't get past the if they catch us, they can't do anything."

"Not to mention, or job is to make sure you _aren't_ caught." Purk had entered the room only to hear the last bit of the conversation, but he didn't plan to stay long. The large buko hurried to the smaller one, sspeaking in his ear in urgency. Grit's eyes widened. He stood up to leave, but not before excusing himself. "I'll be right back."

Shad and Auru just sat there in silence. Shad was beginning to feel contempt towards Auru for even suggesting that they leave, but he tried to control himself, knowing that he was only thinking of Hyrule. But that was the problem: _only_ Hyrule. He had to confront him about this. "You can't possibly consider going back to Hyrule now! After all we've promised, you're seriously thinking about that?"

"I'm only putting things in perspective. Staying here is dangerous for our land and may even strengthen the iron grip the emperor has on this land. Logic dictates that we pull out now before things get out of hand."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, if my understanding is correct. They're just waiting to catch us. They let us go knowing we'd help overthrow their rule, or at least try to. Their goal is ultimately the domination of Hyrule, and we'd only bring them closer to it."

"So we outsmart them. They've made mistakes before. Knowing that there is a trap is the first step to evading one."

Auru found himself pausing after that. That was unlike Shad to have such incite. "And where did you hear that?"

"Mandrakos Fears."

"So his books also have philosophy?"

"Just one. The first was history, second philosophy, and this third one is on a now dead language. This man is a genius." Shad shook his head to clear his mind. "Don't distract me. This doesn't change the fact that-"

"Sorry to interrupt, but we need to get moving." Grit had returned with haste. "A previously untracked unit of soldiers is heading this way, probably looking for our network."

Shad now grew startled. "What do we do?"

"We will return to the desert. They won't look for us. You two will need to head north to another hideout in Virtine near the Crystal Faults. We'll have someone accompany you, but I suggest you pack up now."

Auru looked at Shad who returned his glance. Things had just now picked up. The arguement would have to wait. "We'll discuss this later."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Another day had passed, and the night sky was beginning to cover the land. It was time for Link, Ashei and Rusl to rest once again. They had continued further west along Sanducci's trail after Rusl's search in the town indicated that Ilia was still with him. The trail was nearly uneventful until they had to cross through a large section of forest. Rather close to the northern border, they pondered if it was part of the Ordona, but a more thorough observation proved it had no ties to its even grander relative further north.

Once within, the trail began to swerve and wind around even the smallest diversion. The daylight quickly escaped them the further they delved in. It soon became apparent that they'd need to stop before too long. Though Link did not relish the thought of losing more time, his friends convinced him that nothing ill would befall Ilia if he waits a couple more hours. It was good to have friends one could rely on.

In a short amount of time, a small fire was built as Rusl roasted a trio of small animals they recently caught. Ashei was anxious to taste the foreign meat, while Link was merely anxious to eat. Only a few minutes later, the small mammals were cooked to a nice dark color. Rusl prodded inside one just to be sure it was all cooked. Satisfied with his work, he nodded for the others to dig in.

As they each took a bite, the juices inside the meat quickly began to seep. It sent a quelling shiver down each of their spines. It truly was a good find.

"This is perhaps the tastiest thing I've ever eaten." Ashei remarked.

"It's quite good, but I wouldn't say it's my favorite." Link responded.

"Boy, I'm just happy that my cooking turned out well." Rusl commented with a chuckle.

"Is that all?" Ashei questioned. "You're just glad it just 'turned out well?' What? Is your cooking normally not this good?"

"Oh it's not that. It's just that I haven't needed to cook for a long time. You see it was my wife that would . . . my wife was the one who cooked in our family. She was . . . an amazing cook." Rusl was beginning to drift. "Almost every night the kids and I would wait at the dinner table in anticipation, waiting for her to bring everything to us. She never asked for help, and she always had a smile on her face. The kids . . . Colin and Sinda would shout in joy and applaud her after they finished eating. She really . . . was perfect."

Ashei noticed how Rusl got quieter with each passing word. Eventually she could no longer hear him as he gazed off into the distance reminiscing of his family. She didn't have the heart to ask him directly how he was doing, so she turned to Link. "He has been a bit on the quieter side since we've picked up Sanducci's trail, yeah?"

Link nodded. Though he was normally silent as well, Rusl was closer to Ashei in this regard. Seeing him eat his food in silence made him feel uneasy. The way he was just talking about his family . . . Rusl hadn't even mentioned his family since the night of the raid. As he recalled, he said he was doing fine then, but it felt like such a long time ago. Had everything really sunken inside him? Perhaps it was time to help him as he had always done for him.

"Rusl . . . Rusl." He didn't respond. "Rusl!"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry. What is it?"

"Are you doing okay? You're acting more distant than usual."

"And that's something, you know, coming from Link." Ashei interjected. Again, it came off as rude, but it was only meant as an affirmation. "Seriously, we all have been a bit, so you might as well fess up when it's your turn. Perhaps we can help."

Rusl smiled slightly, but it almost instantly faded. Something was really bothering him. "I just don't understand the world anymore. These people especially."

"By 'these people,' you mean other humans?" Link asked.

"Yes." Almost unnoticed by the others, Rusl had tightened the grip he had on the knife in his right hand. "They're just . . . so vile and malicious. How did they become so, and why do they hate us so much? What have we done to deserve such hate? I may be human, as was my family, but that didn't stop them from burning down our entire village!"

"It's okay, Rusl. Calm down. We don't know yet why the village was attacked. It could have been something else." Link could already see where this was going, and it was completely out of Rusl's character.

"Like what? Are you trying to suggest that it possibly was an accident?"

"Of course not, but we can't presume to know something we have no knowledge of."

"Oh, so now you're _defending_ those murderers."

"Don't put me in the same group as them." Now Link was starting to get on edge, but he did his best to control himself. "I know that there is something wrong with them, but again, we don't know _what_ it is."

"I'll tell you what it is: they're no longer human! You didn't see the smug attitude of their emperor, willing to kill both Auru and I on the whim that we somehow _insulted_ him! And what else would go into a town and burn everyone except the one person they thought they could gain a profit with. Uli would never harm a soul! Colin was the sweetest child a parent could ask for! And Sinda! She was only a year old!"

"I understand, Rusl. Just calm down, you're getting out of cont-"

"To hell with them all! They know nothing but hate, then we should give them nothing but hate!"

Rusl began to draw his sword. Link could not presume to know what he planned to do with it when no others were around, so he jumped to his feet in an attempt to wrestle him down. Before he could reach him, however, Ashei had smashed the side of Rusl's face with a pan. Rusl silently collapsed to the ground. There was no permanent damage, but it did knock him unconscious. Link glared at Ashei, indicating that he felt her actions were uncalled for, but she had a strong defense.

"I've seen people get that mad before. It's borderline insanity. Once you're that far gone, there is no returning. Let him sleep, and in the morning, we can only hope that he's back to his usual self."

Link was quite impressed with her reasoning. It made him wonder a bit why she couldn't deal with her own problems herself, but it all made sense. Ashei, Rusl, and himself. They were all emotionally involved in something one way or another and they needed each other's support to stay afloat. Still, Rusl's behavior bothered him greatly. This was not like him at all. He has _never_ been angry like this before. Yes, his family had all been killed, but he proved even at the night of raid that he could remain strong. What had happened between then and now that could break his will?

Now his questions began to tire him. They had traveled far that day, and the training they had done early on made him weary. Perhaps it was time to sleep.

"Hey, Link?" Perhaps not then.

"What is it? I thought it was your idea to sleep now."

"No, not yet. Have you not noticed that light way out over there?" She pointed southward. Link squinted to see a faint sign of fire. Another campfire possibly, belonging to Sanducci. Ashei was thinking the same thing. "I thought you'd like to at least check it in case it's what we're looking for."

Link nodded. He quickly grabbed his gear. "If it's other people, wouldn't they have heard Rusl's shouting?"

"We can only hope not, yeah?"

He shrugged. That was all they could do now. Ashei led the way as they did their best to creep up on what they hoped to be Ilia's merchant. The ground was moist, creating a well-sounded squish for every step they made. It was impossible to reduce the sound, so the two hylians simply made it a point to move quietly once they felt they were close enough to be heard. At that point, they had to walk excruciatingly slow, but if they were lucky, and Ilia was in company, then their patience will have paid off.

Unfortunately, as they drew nearer, things began to look less favorable. What had seemed like a single campfire a relative distance soon revealed to be a set of torch lights surrounding a small area at a great distance. There was almost no doubt that Ilia was not present, but Link held to a glimmer of hope that she might be over there. He would not back down until he was completely sure.

Link and Ashei continued to trudge through the forest. Every step drew them closer to the fire. Though he did not fear what he would or would not find, Link was cautious as they were finally able to make out the odd shapes in the center of the torches. A large clearing of trees was made so that a vast number of gray slabs of stones could be set in rows of each other.

They were graves.

Link suddenly was now grateful that Ilia was not here. With his curiosity sated, he was ready to leave, but someone else wasn't.

"Will you look at all of these graves?" Ashei let out honestly. "There must be hundreds. Are they all named, or were they just common folk? Maybe it was a big battle that had taken place here long ago."

Ashei continued to ramble on at all the possibilities. Once the two were inside the circle of torches, there was no stopping. Though the trees were cleared, the sun had apparently left the sky in the attendance of the moon and stars while they were moving towards they graveyard. It was very eerie. The sound of the wind whistling past the graves, the calming glow of the torches, and the dark masses of gray stones covering the field. A swirl of questions began to cloud his mind once again.

Why is this place so far from the rest of the kingdom? Why in the middle of the forest where nobody would find it? What happened to these people? Who lit the torches? Are they on every night, or was this night just special? Was there a battle? Are these condemned spirits?

"Link! Take a look at this big one!" Ashei called out for him to follow her to the grandest of all the graves. The stone marker was easily twice as tall as Link with a width of at least twenty feet. Perhaps it held the answers to the questions they desired. Link jogged lightly to where Ashei was standing. She was already admiring the craftsmanship of the stone. It had engravings all over it. It looked like a depiction of a giant battle, with what appeared to be the three goddesses watching overhead. It was a remarkable display, that even Link was impressed.

Despite what the picture displayed, there was a small inscription near the bottom that seemed to reject it and paint a different story. Part of it was even written in poetic form.

"Here lie the traitors who fought and killed their beloved brethren. Their greed and jealousy were their undoing and their end."

_So spiteful were they, the goddesses did spurn them_

_So hateful we are that we blame the blameless_

_Forever shall they mourn, forever shall hate_

_Until one sees what we've refused to see within ourselves_

"What is it with riddles and ancient stuff?" Ashei pondered. "Can't they just speak plainly? What's so hard about writing, 'this is a graveyard for traitors?'?"

"Maybe it already makes sense to the people here." Link approached the grave more closely. A new spot had grabbed his attention on the tomb just below the grand proclamation. "This empty block . . . why is it here?"

"Maybe the poet was going to add another stanza but couldn't think of anything."

"This block is far smaller than the rest of the poem. There's got to be more to it."

"Ha! Link, you know I find this all interesting, but now I think you're just begging to look at something that's not there."

_Looking for something that's not there? That's it!_ Link's sudden realization gave him newfound energy. He quickly scrounged through the contents of his knapsack until he found what he was looking for. The Mask of Truth. If what Mandrakos said was true, then this mask could come in handy.

The moment he donned his new headgear, the changes became quite apparent. His vision was now blaring red, but the empty box was now filled with glowing gold text. The symbols were unfamiliar to Link and made no sense to him, but the mask had worked, and he was grateful for the gift. Perhaps Ashei would recognize them.

"Ashei," he called as he removed the mask. "Something _is_ here. Could you try reading it?"

She rushed back to his side, taking the mask from his hands and hurriedly put them on. "Woah! _This_ is intriguing! You always seem to have the right tool. But this just looks like a bunch of cucoo scratch to me. You know, I bet Shad could decipher this. One of those books he bought was on a language that used symbols like these."

"You mean one of the books by Mandrakos Fears?"

"Yeah, that guy."

Ashei continued to play around with the mask while Link pondered this discovery. If Ashei was right, and Shad's new books could translate the ancient text, then that would mean both pieces of this riddle were solved using the gifts of the bard. That man, why was he helping? Why not outright say exactly what the mask and the books were for? Was this all a ruse so he can pull something malevolent out of his colorful sleeve? Again, Link found himself unable to go for more than few minutes without finding a new barrage of questions raging through his mind. He really wanted answers now, but they would have to wait. Preferably, he'd find Ilia first.

Ilia, the girl he loved.

Link's mind was drifting from one problem to the next. Though he too had shown great strength since learning she was alive, he still found it disheartening to think of her in distress. She was a slave, and though she had no owner as of yet, that could change in an instant. She could be in the hands of someone sadistic, and then what chance would he have? He wanted to see her so much, but his concentration was needed elsewhere.

"Hey, Link?" Ashei's voice brought him back to the present. "I don't think we're alone."

Link turned to face Ashei to see her staring out towards the graves. She was beginning to draw her swords as well, which was enough to convince Link to do the same. He tried to see what Ashei was looking at, but saw nothing. It became apparent that whatever it was she was seeing, she was seeing it through the mask. "Can you describe them to me?"

"They're . . . by the goddesses, they're horrendous! They're all deformed and misshapen, but sort of human! And they're pulling themselves out of their graves!"

Almost as if on cue, a low humming began to fill the air. Link heard that it was coming from the direction of the graves. They must have been the dead spirits. What they planned to do was anybody's guess, but he was not certain he wanted to wait around to find out what. "Ashei, can we get away from here without them noticing?"

Ashei took a deep breath. She was not frightened of the spirits, but their appearance was so off-setting that it was difficult to keep her mind in the right place. "They haven't noticed us yet. I think we can escape if we . . . one just turned to us. It's pointing. Now they're all turning!"

Link stepped next to Ashei. The spirits were blocking them from their escape. Though going around would be possible, there was no telling if they could even find their camp again without going straight back the way they came since they had put out the fire. Since Link also couldn't see the spirits, he'd need to rely on Ashei to be his eyes. "Tell me where and when to strike."

Ashei nodded. The moaning began to get louder and more hostile as it neared the two warriors. "Three to your left . . . now!"

Link swiped at the air with a horizontal slash, hoping that he hit something. Ashei followed as she cut through what she saw as two more. "Is it working?"

"No. It's passing right through them. Any special items you got to ward the dead?"

Link did his best to recall. The only invisible dead he ever fought were poes. He had to be in his wolf form for that, and that magic disappeared when Midna returned to the Twilight Realm. "Nothing. We need to get away."

"We can't. They've surrounded us."

"Well, can we walk through th-" A jolt to Link's stomach stopped him from finishing. There was no blood, but he knew what caused it. Ashei tried to reach for Link, but was forced to the ground as well. The mask on her face was also knocked to the side and out of her reach. Link tried to get up, using his shield to protect himself. He could feel the pounding against his side, making movement challenging. Then the pounding shifted into tearing. They began to tear at his arms and legs. A couple began to get close to his face, forcing Link to shut his eyes vigorously, not that he needed them now. If something didn't happen soon, he and Ashei would die. They needed an exit.

Then all of a sudden, they stopped. The moaning, the tearing, everything had ceased. He couldn't understand what was happening, even though he could hear it. A low growling only a mild distance away that could only belong to a certain beast of the wild. One that he used to be. He opened his eyes to see the massive canine snarling at their invisible adversaries.

It was Harmless.

Link couldn't help but wonder what drove the wolf to come back to them, and what manner of beast made him so feared by the dead. He decided to stop thinking about it as it would only give him more questions which he had had enough of for that night. He just wanted to get back to camp and sleep it off.

Thankfully, Harmless proved quite effective at driving the spirits back to their graves. Ashei confirmed it with the mask before returning it to him. He put it back in his knapsack as he began to saunter back in the direction of their camp. It didn't take as long to return as it did to leave, and he was grateful for it. After assuring himself that everything was as it was supposed to be, he unrolled his sleeping bag and commenced to fall asleep.

"Aren't you at least curious why Harmless came back?" Ashei pondered out loud.

"Yes, but I'm also curious about a _lot_ of things right now, and I'm too tired to think of them. Just let me sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The density of trees made it difficult to spot the sun at first, but its bright rays soon penetrated the thick branches to shine upon the three sleeping wanderers. It was a long night for both Link and Ashei, whom were still recovering from their ghostly encounter. The sun alone would not be enough to wake them. As for their friend, Rusl, he found himself rising from his sleeping bag refreshed, yet with a throbbing headache. He couldn't quite remember how he got there. His last memory was of him sitting at the fire with his friends, eating his cooked meat. Then they started to talk about his family and . . . now he remembered everything.

A surge of emotions suddenly returned to him. The pain of his family's lost, the anguish of being alone, and the desire to see those responsible suffer. Rusl couldn't help but wonder where such feelings were coming from. Though he had a history of his anger overcoming logic, he'd learned from past mistakes to keep it under control. Something must have set him off, but he couldn't say as to what that was.

The sound of someone yawning turned Rusl's attention away. Expecting either Link or Ashei to rise from their sleeping bags, he was surprised to see the wolf, Harmless, stretch and straighten up. The human surmised that he must have returned during the night, but did not question why or how. It had already proven to him and his friends that it was far more intelligent than the average animal. He invited the wolf closer to him with an outstretched hand. The beast happily approached him, licking his open palm in acceptance.

"Boy, I have to admit," Rusl began. "Not even Hyrule during the twilight conflict matched the oddities and coincidences that Silidan has shown."

Harmless didn't respond. It simply kept licking at his hand until Rusl decided that it was enough. He then began to rummage through his pack to find the bag of raw meat he kept. No maggots or other infectious things were present, so he tossed it towards Harmless, who quickly dug in. Now the human began to pick up his cooking tools. A quick breakfast of scavenged eggs would hopefully rise everyone's spirits, especially his own.

After a couple of minutes, one of the hylians began to stir. The smell of food being cooked was a far more soothing wake-up call than a kick from Auru or Harmless' yelp. Slowly, Ashei picked herself up and turned to surprisingly see a happy Rusl over a pan of eggs. "Good morning." He told her. "Just another minute or so and these will be ready."

The young woman yawned softly before she approached and sat next to Rusl. She inhaled deeply to savor the aroma. There was an essence of refreshment flowing through the breeze, easing Ashei's feelings from last night. She could almost fall asleep again, but that would mean missing out on the fresh-cooked food. "Take your time. You really are good at this. It's good to see you're feeling better."

Rusl just smiled and replied, "Well, the feelings aren't completely gone, but they're tucked away pretty well. I'm sorry if things got out of hand last night."

"No worries, yeah? I bashed you pretty hard on the head."

"That how it ended? I remembered a whole lot, but I missed how I got from the fire to my sleeping bag." He peeked at his cooking real fast. "Looks like the food is done. Wake Link up for me."

Before Ashei could begin to do so, Harmless leapt a step ahead of her. It began to lick Link's face at a rapid pace. Though he did stir and begin to wake, he did not quite realize what was happening at first. The moment he became fully conscious, he almost jumped out of his bag. Ashei found herself rolling on the ground bursting her ribs with laughter.

"I presume you put him up to this?" Link inquired of her.

"No she didn't." Rusl explained, having difficulty controlling himself as well. "That's what makes it so funny."

Link sighed as a smile slowly began to form on his face. Soon he found himself laughing as well. Harmless even began to bark loudly in turn. For the first time in a long while, they were all genuinely happy. It was a good thing to know that even in a land wrought with hate, pain and suffering, it was still possible to find joy.

Eventually, the laughter ceased. The three soon began to eat in near silence. Rusl made it clear to Link that he'll need more time to heal, but his younger companion assured him that they'd support each other. Soon afterwards, they began to pack everything. They were preparing to leave the forest when they noticed a creature circling the sky above them. It was making a screeching sound as it appeared to try and locate the trio.

"It has to be Cranis." Link stated. "Rusl, call him to you."

Rusl nodded as he began to pull out his charm. Similar to the horse charm Ilia gave Link, the hawk charm was a work of his own. Rusl handcrafted it himself with some instruction from both Uli and Ilia. As he blew in it, the hawk slowly descended towards its master. As normal, a small message was attached to its leg, but it also had a tiny pouch attached as well. Ashei examined the contents closely.

"Looks like really tiny bird eggs." She commented, at which Link took a look as well.

"They're hollow oocca eggs." The hylian declared. "Sometimes an oocca will lay an egg, but nothing is in it. However, they still hold the magical properties a live one has. Break the shell, and it'll take you back to where the mother is."

"Well there are three of them, so my guess would be that we should use them."

"Not yet, Ashei. Let's see what the letter says."

Rusl unraveled the paper and glanced over it. He then summarized for his companions. "Auru and Shad had to move. They're in a town further north and need to meet us there. They're in contact with some sympathizers and are ready to begin the next phase of planning. We'll use these eggshells to meet with them."

Ashei shrugged briefly before grabbing her hollow egg. "Well, I'll meet you guys there. Last one here grabs the gear."

Without a second to waste, she vanished in a bright white mystical light. Rusl grabbed his egg, but froze when he noticed Link's hesitation. "Something wrong?"

"No, but I'd like to continue looking for Ilia. You can go; I'll be fine on my own."

"Are you sure?" Rusl was not convinced. "I know Ilia is important to you, but are you okay with going alone?"

"I'll be fine. Besides, you need to go now since Ashei left all her gear as well, and she'll need to know what's going on. I'll keep my hollow egg in case something goes wrong, but this is my reason for being here."

Rusl nodded in empathy. "All right. I understand, just don't get too worked up, or you might end up like I did last night."

Link shook his hand and nodded back. He glanced back at the camp to study it. "Don't forget your horses either."

"Relax, Link. I'll grab everything that isn't yours before leaving." Rusl did his best to gather everything together tightly, including both his and Ashei's horses. Once done, he broke his eggshell and vanished in similar fashion.

Link returned to his own horse, Epona. He petted her softly, giving her some fruit from before. "Well girl, looks like it's just you and me. Just as before."

Harmless whined, reminding him of his presence. "Sorry there boy. I forgot about you. The _three_ of us. We've got some distance to cover, so let's get going."

* * *

Like the previous castle, this one had a small town in its outskirts. Named after the greatest lord from House Torche, Gradin was surprisingly busy for a place of its size. Link nonchalantly entered down the main street without so much a fuss from the nearby humans. None questioned his exotic appearance or his pointed ears in the slightest. Even when he had Epona and Harmless put in a stable, the owner didn't seem to pay him any mind. Even a group of gossipers told him everything they knew about Sanducci, which really only consisted of the fact that he had passed through, and was gone.

Before he could begin to wonder why everyone was being so polite to him, he found himself being drawn to a familiar face; A rather tall gentleman in rather eccentric blue and orange clothes with crimson-colored hair. He was playing on his lute a song about "Places I remember."

It was Mandrakos Fears.

Link rushed over to see him up close. This time, his audience was much older, listening silently to his song. Link never imagined that the people here could get so emotional, but he was glad to see that there was still an inkling of humanity left in them. Then again, maybe it was all Mandrakos. He was extremely charismatic, and could probably lead a crowd exceptionally well. He certainly was singing as such.

"In my-y-y life, I loved you more." He finalized his song with an elongated chord on his lute. The crowd clapped politely but no one cheered. They were all crying at the beauty of the song. He bowed his head gracefully to them all and thanked them. Then, for a second, he made eye contact with Link. It was brief, but there was definite meaning, for the entertainer began to walk towards him while insisting to the crowd that he was done. They quickly dispersed, leaving the hylian alone with the tall human.

"Link: Champion of the arena!" They shook hands vigorously. "It is good to see you again. I must be honest; I had not expected you to arrive here so soon, but not to worry. You are safe, regardless."

Link looked puzzled. "Safe? How so?"

"Why, certainly you've noticed the pleasant air about the town towards you? 'Twas a simple illusory spell I cast on you. You no longer appear as an outcast to these people as long as I'm near."

"Well I appreciate the thought, but why are you so concerned about me? If it was just my safety, then why do you wish to speak to me?"

"My dear friend, surely you have realized that all hylians are unwelcome here? If you were to be seen even in a mildly suspicious manner, you could be sentenced to death and a war on Hyrule would be called. That would be atrocious, and what brings you to this particular town?"

"Well, I'm looking for someone. A girl my age."

"Oh? And is she your princess?"

"Uh, no. Zelda is a queen now. They made it o-"

"Relax, Link. I was referring to someone you love. All the greatest tales tend to have heroes save a princess, where they then fall in love and live happily ever after. I refer to your love as a princess."

"Oh? Well that's not the case. She's actually a slave now, and she's being shipped around by a merchant named Sanducci. He's supposed to have come through here, and I was-"

Mandrakos finished his statement. "And you were wondering if she might have been dropped off at this castle?"

Link nodded. "Or if she's still in his company. Do you know the man?"

"Unfortunately. I've seen him around here and there. He did come through, sold a pair of slaves to the lord here. Describe your princess and I'll be able to tell you if she was one of them."

Link took a deep breath, and began to describe her in detail. He couldn't help but get off track a couple of times, but it only made Mandrakos smile even wider. As he began to close, he noticed the taller man sigh, which made him ponder whether or not it was a good or bad sign.

"Well, there is some good, and some bad news to this. Bad news is: Sorry Link, but your princess is in another castle. She's not here. However, the good news is that she's still following him."

That alone raised his spirits. "How was she?"

"She looked to be in good health, despite that she appeared worried."

"That's still good news for me. I still have a chance of finding her."

"Perhaps you shall, but now I've another question for you."

"What is it?"

"Where are your companions? Did you separate from them?"

Link became a bit guarded. He still was uncertain as to what Mandrakos was after, or what his intentions were. He seemed, trustworthy, so he decided to tell him at least part of the truth. "They're with the buko. We're trying to find the people responsible for attacking our village on the border."

"Ah!" Mandrakos appeared as if her were thinking faster than a speeding horse. "I have a proposition for you. Rejoin your companions, and help them. I'm traveling to thecastleofHouse Edravorn, which Sanducci will undoubtedly travel to before returning to the slave capital of Denalet. I will find out if your princess, Ilia, is in relation to him, and will contact you when I can, so you'll know where she is."

"That's very generous of you, but what if Ilia is still with him when he returns to Denalet?"

"Then I suppose I'll have to buy her off of him myself and send her your way."

"That's even more generous, but really, why are you helping me so much? First the mask, then the books, and n-"

"You have a copy of my books already?" Mandrakos asked astonished.

"My friend Shad bought them. You didn't know?"

"No, I was going to give you them just now, but if you already have a copy, then you're moving much faster than what I could have anticipated, and that's vitally important."

"Why? Why is it so important? And why me?"

Mandrakos looked even more astonished. "Wha- . . . You . . . Really? You don't know? I thought you just dealt with your counterpart in Hyrule a year ago. You know . . . the one with the piece of Power?"

It suddenly dawned on the hylian. Mandrakos knew of his story, and the tales connected to it. And why not? He was a storyteller. It made sense, but there were still questions to be answered. "What do you expect me to do?"

Mandrakos made no effort in dramatizing the next words that came out of his mouth. "Link, you must break the curse gripping this land. You're the only one who has faced an evil of such strength before and defeated it."

Link tried to speak, but couldn't quite find the words to say it. It took him a moment to put them together properly. "What curse? These people are simply spiteful and hateful. That's no curse."

Mandrakos no longer held his normal bright demeanor. He was dead serious. "Do not pretend to be blind. This land has been cursed since the olden day. They've brought it upon themselves, but it also lured them into its keeping. Now the people are doomed to sleepless death. Certainly, you've seen the graveyard now."

The graveyard. That desolate place where the spirits rose to strike him and Ashei. Their moaning had sounded like they were hungry, but thinking back on it now, it had actually sounded like they were sad. Sad and lost. They had nothing, so they attacked those that had everything. "Mandrakos . . . what kind of horrible curse could have done this to these people?"

Mandrakos sighed. Now the young hylian understood. But he needed to be illuminated to the true history of the kingdom, and that was his specialty. "What I can offer you now is the song that is sung by the dead. In it, you'll learn the story from the side of the humans. It is called by many as a song of true sadness, but I know it as _Sorrow of Silidan_."

The bard began to pluck away at his lute again. Instead of the more sentimental tone of the previous song, this one was dark and dreary. There was no light to it. It was a simply structured song too, consisting of only four measure chord progression before repeating itself as before. The strength and understanding of the song came from the words, and they saddened Link.

_Oh Lamentations! For who am I?__  
__I was just a man, but I had to die._

_My sins were unforgivable.__  
__And the darkness grew deep within my soul._

He paused for a second, letting his lute continue to carry on. His eyes were closed and he looked as if he pitied the song's narrator.

_'Twas not my fate, my heart filled with hate, for an unrequited love.__  
__'Twas not mine to take, they'd said for my sake, to save me from judgment born above._

_The power, courage and wisdom could have set me free.__  
__Yet I did not wish to invoke the wrath of the divinity. Oh calamity!_

_But the beast inside knew how to play me!__  
__He toyed with my emotions!_

_How could I hide these feeling? Oh no I could not!__  
__There was only one solution!_

This time he seemingly stopped altogether, letting the words and last chord sink before revealing the solution. It was not a pleasant one, and made Link feel even more depressed.

_I killed my brother.__  
__Yes! I killed my brother._

_Yes! I took his claim!__  
__I took his name!_  
_I gave him shame_  
_Because we weren't the same!_

Slowly and steadily, he began to let the lute fade until there was nothing left. Though it was a relatively short song, it had a powerful impact. Link couldn't even begin to express what he had just felt. "That was . . . was . . ."

"I know. It really is like that."

"What does it mean? I understood it had to do with the Triforce and the goddesses, but the rest . . ."

"Thousands of years ago, the goddesses chose Hyrule to be the land to house their treasure. It is of course a great honor, but it left the others behind in a wake. 'Why were we not chosen,' they would ask themselves. 'Are we not all equal creations under the goddesses' rule?' It soon transpired that thekingdomofSilidandefied the goddesses and took the Triforce for themselves. It was a bloodthirsty war. They turned on their brethren in a manner most foul and slaughtered them. The goddesses, seeing what was happening, intervened. The people of Silidan were rebuked by their creators and cursed. No more could they gaze upon a reflection without seeing their true selves. No more could they die and rest in bliss. They must hear the cries of their brethren until they can see what isn't seen and realize that they were wrong to spurn the hylians."

Link could scarcely believe it. No wonder the humans here hated Hyrule so much. They were given so much, and them so little. But could that alone drive them to attack their brothers? No, the song indicated more. "You referenced to a beast and a darkness in the song. What are they?"

Mandrakos' smile returned, glad to see that the young lad was still bright. "That is an excellent question. Though I can answer, that is something you must see and experience for yourself. It will be made clear then, but for the moment, I ask, nay, I beg that you return to your allies. I know that your princess is important to you, but _this_ is important to Silidan and Hyrule alike."

Link understood. What he said was true. He was a chosen champion of the goddesses, and he had to make personal sacrifices. The world depended on him. "All right. I'll return, but please look out for Ilia for me."

"Of course I will. Oh, and before I forget, take this." He handed him a small, fancy box. When he opened it, it began to play 'Sorrow of Silidan.' "It's a music box. You might find this handy when you're looking for the 'beast inside.'"

Link thanked him again and began to make his way back to Epona and Harmless. It finally became perfectly clear to Link that his troubles here had only just begun.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"I must say," Auru began while raising a cup of fine wine, "This is certainly the greatest meal I've had since entering your lands."

The man hosting the dinner bowed his head and smiled. "I'm so pleased to hear that. I know that few of my brethren would treat you as kindly as I, but it really does please me to hear such praises."

The host, Lord Aric of House Maukro, was pleasantly sitting across from his four special guests. He had golden blonde hair hanging loosely over his head and growing in every conceivable place. The great noble was incredibly well dressed, with clothes of silk and other fine linens. It was a unique trait the man possessed, caring only for the clothes he wore and not his own body. Still, there was no denying his hospitality was welcome, and that made his guests feel at ease. They were nothing less than grateful for their newfound friend, especially one from the noble houses.

"I mean no disrespect," Ashei pointed out, "But I hardly recall your House name. Were you at the Diamond's tournament this last week?"

Lord Aric nodded. "We excelled at the team sport event, but outside of that, we did quite poorly. I teach my knights to work together and not as individuals. It is a quality that will serve them well in the coming days."

"So you do intend to usurp the mantle as emperor."

"I honestly care little about the title, but there is no denying that the current ruler and his line need to be cut from power, and we are amongst the few who have any power to do so."

"Which is why you plan to come to terms with the renegades." Auru stated knowingly.

"Quite correct, my friend. We must join together if we are to stand a chance. With my House's resources, the buko's information, the renegade's experience, and your intellect, we stand a good chance of severing their domain. It's a chance I'm willing to make."

"We were actually under the impression that the renegades were responsible for destroying our border village." Shad interjected gravely, "If this is true, should we still work with them?"

"I see no other possible option, but I cannot for the life of me suspect the renegades of being responsible for such a deed. It would be extremely out of character for them. Nevertheless, we will bring this up to them when we finally meet them tomorrow."

Shad nodded before withdrawing back into his food. It was a roasted bird of some sort that he couldn't quite discern, but he certainly was enjoying it. Ashei was next to him, nearly finished with her meal. Shad had observed her eat before, and always thought it almost barbaric how she used her knife on the poor flyer. However, he guessed it mattered little since the creature was already dead. No sense in being stingy about the death of an animal. Ashei made no note that he was staring at her, as she spoke up once more towards their host.

"Just what exactly, may I ask, has your position been before? I mean, were you always harboring ill feelings towards the emperor?"

"Always." He replied sternly. The thought of the emperor left a bad taste in his mouth, forcing him to put his food down. "We've spoken out against his rule for several generations."

"And he hasn't attempted to stop your slander?"

"Since it's only slander, no. He could have, but we are the most profitable House of them all. Our harvest is the highest and the peasants aren't even overworked. It would've been disastrous for him to strike us down, and he'd only do it if we were actually a threat. Since we haven't done anything yet, he has simply learned to ignore us. Of course, now that he is not paying attention to us, we have an opportunity that we cannot overlook."

"In that case, I've another question." Shad raised his knife-hand up. "My understanding was that the wizzrobes were advising each of the lords so that they all could be more easily controlled by the emperor. Don't you have one then as well?"

Lord Aric was surprised at Shad's knowledge, but wasn't fazed by his inquiry. "It's true that they have been advising the different lords, but we had ours taken care of a long time ago when they first attempted to offer their services many years ago."

"How so?"

"Well it just so happened that another magician of sorts approached my ancestor for the same purpose: become the lord's advisor. It's an interesting story if you'd like to hear it all."

"Sounds quite fascinating." A smile streaked across his face, and Ashei leaned in closer to listen.

Lord Aric returned the smile, reclining back in his chair as he began the tale. "The two strangers arrived almost at the exact same time. First came the dark one, and then came the cheery one. Both had a desire to become the lord's advisor, as I had said. The first one to lead the lord to long life with servitude, the second to death but prosperity. It was the dark one that first claimed to know what the future held should the lord listen to him. He spoke of great turmoil that was to come to the shattered land. He claimed that within a year, a conqueror would rise to power and smite those that did not follow him. He then went to explain that only by taking his advice will he survive, but he will always be beneath this conqueror, paying a grand tribute to a man he would have no respect for.

"The second one laughed and scoffed at him. He too claimed to see such a conqueror, but one that would rise to slay the first, and though the lord may be slain or put to death at the hands of the first, they would become the next rulers after the second conqueror finished smiting his foes. Now when the lord asked the cheery one how he expects the house to survive if he were to be dethroned by the first, he simply laughed. Eventually he explained precisely what would happen.

"'My lord,' he stated, 'The conqueror he speaks of will kill you and your children, usurping your House to another, but one will escape under _my _care, and when the time is right, he'll take back what is rightfully his. By that time, the conqueror will have been sated, and will no longer care to slaughter so long that a _small_ tribute will be paid to him. The usurpers will be put to death, which the people will rejoice and the fields will be more prosperous than they ever will be before.'

"My ancestor was quite offset by his bold proclamation. He appointed the cheery one and executed the dark one on the spot. Shortly afterwards, everything that was predicted came to be. The House family was extinguished by the conqueror while the cheery one escaped with one of the children. When the child was ready, he took back the House and paid the tribute to the conqueror. That conqueror, in question, was the first emperor of Silidan. Though we have yet to see the second conqueror, we hope that your own presence here represents it, and we will destroy the Emperor to bring the prediction to full circle."

Shad was wide-eyed the entire time, too astonished to speak, his counterpart did. "Interesting story, yeah? And this is a famous family legend?"

"Quite so, but _true _legend, past down for nearly two hundred years. It's because of that man that this land is in control of itself and not the emperor and his wizzrobe advisors."

"Did this man have a name?" Ashei asked quite sincerely.

"Not that is recalled. Hereabouts, we refer to him as the Sunderer, for that was his guise while secretly training and preparing the heir to return to the throne."

Rusl, who'd remained silent then entire night, finished his large meal with a sip of wine. It was a very interesting story, one worthy of its stature, but he was more concerned about Link at the moment. He did not expect him to return soon, which only made him worry as to how long he'd survive as a lone hylian in a kingdom, or empire rather, as Lord Aric had been correcting them. He knew Link was strong and capable, his own tale of the Twilight Event was proof enough, but he still couldn't let the feeling that he was still in need and yet out of reach.

"Something troubling you, Sir Rusl?" Lord Aric asked, his voice displaying a casual concern.

"Oh, somewhat. It's our friend, Link. I'm just worried that he might need some help right now."

"Oh, please!" Ashei rolled her eyes. "How could a guy who defeated an entire invading army need help?"

"Is this true?" Aric was quite enthralled by her mention of his strength.

"Not exactly," Rusl corrected. "The army had already settled and became complacent. He struck them where they hurt when they hurt, but has never faced a grand army before."

"Still, an interesting person. Why exactly isn't he accompanying you now?"

"The girl he loved; she is the only survivor of the attack, and he's trying to track her down."

"Ha! Even more heroic of him! You have my condolences for him."

Ashei rolled her eyes again. Rusl noted the hint of anger in her tone when she commented earlier about him. He considered asking her what was on her mind, but decided best to let her vent as she was. She was far better at letting out her anger than he, even before his outburst the night before. He instead turned his attention towards Shad, who had begun indulging their host about all of Link's heroic deeds in the past. The lord was quite impressed, caring not to hide his feelings. He seemed to take a shining towards this young man he'd yet to meet.

Before too long, a servant approached Lord Aric and whispered in his ear. He nodded and urged him to set a new seat at the table. Rusl was instantly made curious as to who the new arrival was to be. "It seems your famous companion has decided to return after all. He is on his way up now."

In a couple moments, the young hylian, still clad in his travel clothes made his way to the table. He bowed politely to the host. "My lord."

"Please, sit!" He motioned with his hand to the new seat made available right between himself and Ashei. The young man smiled at Ashei, who did not respond in kind. Before he could ask why, their host brought back his attention. "Your friends were just recounting your valiant deeds back in Hyrule. I must say that I am thoroughly impressed. I'd not think it possible that one so young and seemingly inexperienced could be so capable."

"I'm honored, sir."

"I'm sure. You seem to have a knack for heroics. Nigh single-handedly defeated the twilight imposter _and_ King of Evil. How did you come to possess the courage that allowed you to do such impossible tasks?"

"It . . . was sort of thrust upon me. You could say it was all prophetic. I just did as I was instructed to do."

"You are far too modest, which is another heroic trait. But tell me, your friends indicated you were looking for someone. Did you find her?"

"No, but I found someone willing to look. He convinced me to come back and help my friends and you too."

"We most certainly need all the help we can get." Another servant soon came with a new plate of food for Link. He quickly dug into it. Auru took this sign to step back in.

"I do not mean to interrupt, but before it gets to be too late, I'd like to know what you have planned for us tomorrow."

"Ah, of course! We have a long journey ahead of us. We'll begin to take the eastern road around the Slumbering Mountains. At a certain point, we'll be taking a hidden route through the mountains towards the Sleeping Valley, a secret location in the mountains where the renegades are camped. That's when we'll open negotiations and prepare a battle plan."

"I'm sorry." Link interjected. "Are these renegades-"

"Highly unlikely the ones who attacked Ordon Village," Auru answered. "But we'll find out for certain when we get there."

"So they're against the emperor as well?"

"Quite correct." Lord Aric rejoined the conversation. "This is why we will be joining up with them. We'll be spending quite a lot of time with them determining how we'll be attacking. We'll need a sound strategy that will eliminate the possibility of facing the entire empire at once."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Link began. "But the strength of this empire lies with each House, and not in an essential army, correct?"

"To an extent. There is an army guarding the Diamond at all times, but the whole of the Houses' armies could take it out. That of course isn't going to happen."

"But if we were to just attack the Diamond now, they'd just counter with all the Houses converging back at us, correct?"

"Correct. Our basic strategy will be to somehow isolate and siege each of the different houses without them contacting the outside."

"So it's going to take a couple of months to pull off."

"Yes. It's going to take a lot of patience to do this; something that they will not have. Why do you ask?"

"The friend I met at Gradin hinted at some things that I need to discover. I just needed to know if I'll have time between your sieges and my exploring."

"Oh? You got more exploring to do?" Shad was enthralled. "I do hope you'll let me assist you on that."

"As a matter of fact, I'll need you on my first trek. Have you finished translating that dead language yet?"

"Oh, I haven't quite gotten to that book yet, but I will now. Might take me a little while."

"That's alright." He turned back to Lord Aric. "I'll still be joining you on this trip to the renegades. I just want to make sure they aren't responsible for burning down Ordon Village before I do anything."

"That's quite understandable. I'd appreciate hearing you recount your tales in person. I believe your friend Shad here has a tendency to exaggerate."

"He does at that, but I doubt he did in this instance." Link put his knife down as he wiped his face with a napkin. "If it's all right, my lord, I'd like to retire for the evening."

"We were done before you even came in. Since you are now as well, we can all retire, if that is everyone's desire." No one denied it. "Then I call this meal and meeting adjourned."

Everyone stood up after him and lead to their respective rooms. Link followed Ashei before entering his. He'd been meaning to ask her about her cold shoulder. "Ashei, is something wr-"

"Don't talk to me right now. I'll let you know when I'm done being angry."

"O-okay?" The young woman shut the door to her room violently. Link was stunned for a short while, unable to move. Once he found himself again, he returned to his own room. Harmless was already there waiting for him. It began to wag its tail and attempted to jump up to him. Link smiled back and led him over to the bed. Unlike Ashei, he didn't mind the wolf sleeping at the foot of the bed. After changing into his own sleeping clothes he joined the canine. As he began to doze off into his dreams, he remembered the words of Mandrakos. _You must break the curse gripping the land._


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The morning moved by quickly. The road was to be long and they needed to leave as soon as the sun rose. Everyone ate a hasty breakfast before mounting up on their horses. It was decided that they would ride to the renegade encampment found in the SlumberingMountains to the east. According to Lord Aric's scouts, they would be found near the tallest mountain in the range. Excluding Lord Aric, Link and his friends, there were six other knights on the journey, each equipped with plated armor, lances and a sword.

By midday, they had reached the base of the mountain range. The path they were directed towards was narrow, allowing only two horses width at a time; almost too narrow and rocky to traverse at all. There was no particular rush anymore, which had already been taken into planning, so the knights carefully and diligently paired themselves off. Each pair kept a distance from the others of about 25 feet, close enough to see what the others were doing, but far enough to have private conversations.

Whether that meant Link was lucky having been paired with Ashei or not was uncertain, but he knew that they needed to talk. Whatever it was that Ashei was brooding over, he felt obligated to talk to her about it now, whether she was ready or not. He took a deep breath before stepping up a little closer to her horse. She noticed his approach, but turned away quickly. Link could read her signs, but he was not going to back down. She might have told him to stay away while she was still mad, but he was beginning to gain a rising suspicion about the emotions he and his companions have been feeling since the beginning of this adventure. He thought it would be best to defuse any negative thoughts from their minds as quickly as possible.

"Hey, Ashei." He attempted to gain her attention. She obviously heard him, but made no indication of a response. He trotted a little closer and tried again with more punctuation. "Ashei! I know you don't want to talk, but this needs to stop. Just tell me whatever it is you're upset about."

Ashei stifled a mild laugh as the young man spoke, but it did invoke a response to Link's desire. "You really forgot, didn't you? After all we talked about and you can't keep anything in that thick skull of yours!"

"Will you stop beating about the bush and just say it? Just let your anger out on me and be done with it. It's not like you to keep it in like this."

"Oh! So now you know me so well, don't you? Well maybe you should stop trying to help others while you've still got your own problems, yeah?"

"My own problems? Speak plainly, Ashei!" He realized his voice was starting to rise even above hers. He tried to lower it next. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes, you did! All that talk about how _I_ should continue on this journey and let my father possibly _die_, and the first chance _you_ get to split with us to look for Ilia, you took it!"

Now it had come together for him. His seemingly hypocritical actions clearly left a breach between their trust. He silently thought back to what he was thinking of back when he made the decision to split. That's when he was beginning to realize that even he was letting his emotions dictate his decisions. Even on the day of the burning of Ordon, he had felt nothing but sadness, pain and a desire for revenge. Though it had subsided relatively quickly afterwards, the feelings would continue to try and overpower his will.

_But the beast inside knew had to play me!__  
__He toyed with my emotions!_

The words of the song came back to haunt him. The people of Silidan were driven to a maddening war that had been stemmed from simple feelings of jealousy, lust and loneliness. Something still residing in the land was fueling these emotions, like a fan to a small flame, and the longer they held onto these feelings the less control they had over themselves. The puzzle was finally being put together, and Link was well on his way to solving it.

Yet, he was still vulnerable to the attacks, as were his friends. The best way to deal with them seemed to be with the help of a friend. Since her current lack of control was stemmed from his own, there was only one possible response to her accusation. "You're right. I was wrong."

Ashei looked almost perplexed. She must have been expecting him to defend himself. "What?"

"I said you're right. I acted selfishly and was not considerate to the matter at hand." More silence from Ashei. It seemed that Link had properly defused her anger, so he decided that he could speak in a more casual manner. "Look, I'm not going to excuse my actions now, but the friend I met in Gradin has revealed a lot to me about Silidan that I think you should know."

"Enlighten me," Ashei replied bluntly. Though no longer angry, she was still visually upset. "Who was this friend of yours?"

"Mandrakos Fears."

"What, the man who wrote Shad's history books?"

"The same. I actually first met him in the Diamond. He gave me that mask we used to look at the gravestone in the forest two nights ago."

"Sounds like he's trying to lead us down a certain path, yeah? You sure he's on our side?"

"I can't say for certain, but there is an uncanny . . . appeal in his nature that strikes me as genuine."

"Hmph. Still, I wouldn't really trust a man who just happens to appear at pertinent moments. Anyway, please continue."

"Well, he told me a lot about Silidan's history, and how there was an ancient war between them and us. He didn't tell me what truly caused it, but I think I've figured out a part of it.

"I believe that there is some sort of malicious entity that drives people to act unnaturally."

"Really? When did you learn words like 'malicious entity?'?"

"Please, stay with me. What I'm trying to say is that . . . your troubling feelings with your father, Rusl's sudden desire to take up revenge and my unwavering need to find Ilia . . . it all adds up. It's not like us to let these things cloud our thoughts this much."

"You're saying I wouldn't normally be concerned about my dying father?" Ashei's voice began to darken.

"Of course that's not what I'm saying, but would it usually make you lose focus as much as it does now?" Link paused at that thought. Perhaps he should use himself as an example instead. "Look, when Ilia was first kidnapped by the bulblins a year ago, it hurt me, and drove me to make sure she was okay, but I was still able to keep things in perspective. Hyrule was in danger and I was told to save it. Ilia had to come second.

"Look at Rusl. You may not know him as well as I do, but I can tell you that as much as he loved his family, he is simply too kind-hearted to ever consider killing everyone here. That's not his nature. He'd certainly be angry about what happened, but he'd have regained control by himself far before the outburst we saw before. Do you see what I'm trying to say?"

Ashei thought about it for a while. It did make sense. She had certainly felt something foreboding about Silidan ever since they first decided to enter. It seemed very possible that even her own anger at Link was lasting far longer than she had thought possible. It was, after all, Link's specialty to make sense of these things. Perhaps, it was time to let go of her anger.

"I . . . suppose you're right. I mean, it'd be great if there was some proof of this 'ominous beast that controlled our emotions,' but I've put my trust in you so far. I think I can continue to do so."

Link smiled hearing the usual half-cynical Ashei come back. "You don't have to believe me now. Just promise me if I start to get a little too attached to getting Ilia back that you'll stop me."

"Done. But just as a warning, I slap a lot harder than the average girl."

"As long as no pans are involved, I'm fine with that."

Ashei returned the smile. Now that that ordeal was behind them, they were able to continue their journey without any tension. Despite what Link expected to be a silent trip through the mountains, it seemed Ashei was not yet satisfied with their conversation. The smile on her face never quite left her as she began to think about everything they'd just talked about. "You must really be in love with her, yeah?"

Link was caught off guard by the question. "I'm sorry?"

"I'm just saying that you must really love her. I may not know much about your relationship with her, but that much seems obvious to me."

"Well . . . yeah. I really do love her."

"As I've stated: it's obvious. Tell me, when did it happen?"

"When did what happen?"

"Really, Link? You don't get it? I'm asking you when you fell in love with her. Was it love at first sight? Was it a gradual thing? When did you realize that you loved her?"

Link figured that it was a rather personal question to ask him, but he figured he owed her since she told him about her problems with her dad. "It wasn't really either. For a long time we were just friends, and then suddenly we were in love."

"Well, what happened? Don't _you_ start beating about the bush."

Link took a deep breath before revealing his story. "It was my fourteenth birthday. A couple of weeks before it came, Mayor Bo and Ilia had gone to CastleTown for a while. After they returned, Ilia kept teasing me about the birthday present she got for me, and told me how excited I was going to be when I get it. Since we were close friends, I believed everything she said. Of course it was all vague, in an attempt to fool me."

"So she tricked you?"

"I'm getting there. No need to interrupt me.

"My birthday finally came. The entire village was there. We ate, sang and danced the entire day. It was all going well. When the sun began to set, everybody started returning home. Ilia hadn't yet given me her present. That's when she told me to come to the barn where she'd reveal it to me. We quickly ran over there while no one was looking. Once inside, she instructed me to close my eyes while she got it. When she said she was ready, I opened them. Immediately after I did so, she hit me in the head with an egg and shouted 'Happy Birthday!' Then she just started laughing at me."

"Ow! Even I haven't done anything that cruel."

"Please stop interrupting me."

"Sorry."

"Anyway, I was hurt. All this time she was building up this great gift just to hit me in the face with an egg. I was angry, and I wanted to scowl at her. But then something happened. As I looked at her laughing, I couldn't help but just let it all go. I even began to laugh a little as well. Then it occurred to me: no matter what went wrong in my life, just seeing her face, that bright smile and shining eyes, was all I needed. She asked me if I was mad, and I told her no. She said 'good', and then showed me my _real_ present." Link paused briefly to point at his earring. "This is it. I don't think I've ever taken it off since that day."

"So that's where you got that earring. I was always wondering where your horrible taste in style came from."

"Hey, it's the thought that counts. It has nothing to do with style."

"Of course it doesn't."

"I seem to recall a certain someone who chose to crop her hair short except for the sides. Now who could that have been?"

"That _was_ in style at the time. Besides, it was a rebellion thing against my dad."

"Of course it was."

"All right, I take it back. I get it. It _is _kinda romantic, really. Too mushy for me, but I wouldn't put it by Shad to read a book with that in it."

"Yeah." That suddenly made Link begin to think. "What about you? Have you ever been in love or been courted."

Ashei attempted to deflect the question as quaintly as possible. "Oh, I've had both, but neither at the same time."

"Care to share one of your own stories?"

"I think not. They're not as great of memories as yours are."

"Come on. At least tell me if the rumors are true. I heard someone in Hyrule say that you and Shad used to be to-"

"You heard WHAT?" The pair of knights in front of the two youths turned back to see what was going on, which Ashei simply responded with, "Mind your own business!"

Link promptly answered her question. "It's just a rumor, but I heard that you and Shad used to be together. I never believed it, but was curious."

"Hmph! I wouldn't doubt that Shad himself started that rumor."

"No, I've already asked him about it. He was just as surprised as you were, but said it wasn't true."

"Then why bother asking me if he already told you the truth?"

"Because I wanted to hear what you'd say."

"Well, what did _he_ say first?"

Link tried to recall the exact words that Shad had used. "Let me see . . . he said that 'As strong-willed and pretty as she is, she just isn't temperate enough for my tastes'."

"Is that so? Well, Link, as _quirky_ and _funny-looking_ as _he_ is, he just isn't _manly_ enough for my tastes."

They both had a good chuckle from the outcome of that statement. Still, Link was too curious to let it go at that. "Seriously, Ashei, tell me."

Ashei sighed in defeat. "You want to hear when I was in love, or when I was courted?"

"Whichever you're more comfortable with."

This time, Ashei took a deep breath. "It's not nearly as long or romantic a story, but I suppose you'd still be interested.

"I was seventeen, so that'd make it . . . four years ago. My father was still dealing with the Royal Family; still trying to let me carry his family name. One time, while we were in CastleTown, I ran into a young man named Janim. He was several years older than me, but I could tell he fancied me. We spoke but briefly. Father came by soon so we had to return home. That didn't stop Janim from asking my father if he could court me. He accepted only on the condition that he monitored our courting, which I found unnecessary and Janim found unnerving. It forced him to be nice around me.

"I did find him somewhat charming, but I knew that part of it was an act just for my dad. Our first 'date' on our own, he started to reveal his true self. He wished to show me the training grounds of his father's house. That's when he showed a very 'male dominance' attitude towards everything. He took offense that I was a better swordsman and rider than he, and expected women to be subservient. By the end of the day, I told him I was done with him. In a rage, he attempted to have me that night, but I easily fought him off and rode away on his favorite horse. More of a trot than a gallop, he was too stunned to pursue."

Link was astonished. He expected her story to be an example of her strong will, but he was surprised by the ending of it. "That's . . . not what I was expecting."

"You asked. I just told you how it happened."

"Did you at least return the horse?"

"No. When I told father what'd happened, he applauded me, and wrote to Janim's father explaining that we'd keep the horse as compensation for his inexcusable behavior. The next, and last, time I saw him, he apologized to me for his actions. I forgave him, but let him know that there was no chance in 'us' ever happening again."

Link couldn't help but grin. That was the ending he was expecting to hear. They continued to banter for a while, but it soon faded away as the trail began to get thinner. After another hour or so, they had finally reached their destination. Lord Aric, who lead the expedition, halted everyone. They closed together as much as they could so that he could pass the word he had next. He was positive that they were now in the RenegadeTerritory.

"They see us," he stated in his noble tone. "Stay together, and do not draw your weapons."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

There was a fork in the trail. One path was so steep it was impossible to take on horse, and the other was practically a death trap from the rocks surrounding it. Lord Aric believed it was a testament of good faith to take the latter path. Auru was curious as to why they'd need to prove themselves, to which Aric replied that there was still tension between the renegades and the hylians. It made some sense to Link since according to his theory, they were still under the influence of whatever it was that caused the people of Silidan to have such negative emotions. He only hoped that they'd be able to convince them otherwise of their good intentions.

He didn't have much time to ponder the possibilities because the path suddenly began to expand greatly. The front guards also halted allowing the others to catch up to them. The trail had come to a complete stop with giant stones creating a wall. It was a dead end. They'd just walked into a trap.

Towering over the entire convoy were several dozen men armed with bows. "Make one move for your weapons and the Revival Riders will stain this ground with your blood!"

Lord Aric held up a hand as he rode towards the front closest to the stone wall. His voice was so loud Link was almost certain the mountains began to shake. "Trejon! This is Lord Aric of House Maukro! We've come here to discuss an alliance to take down the Emperor!"

"Yes, you did!" One of the archers began to slide down the mountain side. He touched down with a quick leap to counter the sudden stop. His auburn-colored hair was long enough to touch his shoulder blades, and his face was unshaven. He almost resembled Lord Aric's facial features, but he didn't have the well-made clothes to counter it. He wore tight leather armor that had been worn from long usage. "But it was to be with your House, not with your long-eared companions."

"These hylians have come in peace. They have seen the deeds of the Emperor and wish for his disposal just as much as we do."

"You seem to forget, Lord Aric. It was because of them that the Emperor rose to power."

"You don't really believe that, do you Trejon?" Aric watched him with careful eyes as he began to walk amidst his horses next to the hylians. Auru leaned in towards Aric in a whisper. "I'm sorry, but what is he talking about?"

The nobleman shifted his weight in Auru's direction to follow suit. "The first emperor built his campaign on the threat that Hyrule supposedly posed to us."

Auru found that to be a rather thin excuse for the renegades. "Is that all?"

"You must remember that silidians have a long history with you that we'd rather forget but seem to find popping up whenever a problem occurs. If you can be seen as a even a fraction of the problem, it still adds up their anger towards you."

"Perhaps your 'friend' would like to explain why he's really here." Trejon was referring to Auru, noting how they were secretively talking to each other. "I'd be interested in hearing that story."

Auru turned to face his accuser. Though much older than the human, Auru hardly felt intimidated by his veiled threats. "My companions and I've come here because someone slaughtered a village at our border. We want to see those responsible brought to justice."

A small chuckle escaped the man's lips. He remarked sarcastically, "Now I wonder who would commit such a violent act against a hylian village?"

"It wasn't hylians in that village." Trejon froze when he heard Auru's words. "They were humans, just as yourselves."

Trejon was a bit puzzled. His men up in the rocks even began to murmur amongst themselves. At the very least he was curious, but not ready to buy the story fully. "A human village in your territory. And you really care for it? Hard to believe coming from a long-ear. How do I know you speak the truth."

Auru said nothing. He merely looked in Rusl's direction who took it up for himself to explain. "I lived in that village. My family was killed. My two children and my wife are gone. A girl, Ilia, was kidnapped and sold into slavery."

"And you were all human in this village?" Trejon inquired closely. Rusl shook his head. "No, this young man here lived with us. He was actually very close to Ilia."

Trejon turned towards Link. The young hylian didn't hide his feelings of lost, but he kept control. The human walked over to his horse and looked into his eyes. "A hylian with a human? Perhaps we are . . . _I_ am biased towards your kind. But you must tell me truthfully. Were you honestly . . . in love with her?"

Link nodded solemnly. "Yes. I was actually on my way back to ask her father to properly court her. But that's when the attack happened."

Even Link's companions had a look of shock on their faces at the mention of courting. They had not known his intention that day. It gave Ashei deeper insight as to why he was particularly hurt with her kidnapping. Regardless of their feelings. Trejon seemed to be convinced. He walked back towards Lord Aric and nodded at him. "Perhaps I have been too hasty, but it is not my place declare whether or not your friends can stay. I'll take you to our leaders, but from their, it will be up to them."

"Brother Trejon, you will not regret this decision. I have a feeling that with their help, we'll have the goddesses favor." The House Lord patted his fellow man on his shoulder before prepping his horse to turn, but not before quietly mumbling, "This time."

Trejon sauntered back towards the path, leading their guests back to take the rocky way. They all dismounted and left their horses in the dead end, where they'd be treated by the guards.

They soon reached the forked path and began to climb up the mountainside they had originally left alone. Link noted that it proved to be a nearly treacherous path. It soon was made clear why the "Revival Riders" had chosen this place as their main encampment. The first path, safe for horses, was a dead end where the renegades could strike from above. The other was a treacherous footpath that was slow and tedious. Link was very curious about the operations they held here . . . and why they were named so. "If I may ask, Trejon, why do you call yourselves the 'Revival Riders?' It sounds a bit . . ."

"Awkward?" Trejon finished for him. Link nodded, while the young man answered his question. "Let's just say one of our leaders enjoys being alliterative, and the idea of 'reviving' the land to its original glory was something of an old saying to silidians. And of course the we are 'riders,' we're best known for our raids on their supply convoys and isolated troops."

"Where do you keep your horses then?" Auru overheard the conversation and became quite interested as well. "They're not all in the dead end."

"They are, but we have a special device we use to elevate them up from there and bring them towards us. You couldn't see it from down below, and you can't access it either. As you can see, we are a virtually impregnable fortress."

"Yet you have no problem telling us when you might still reject our help?" Ashei pointed out, intruding the conversation as well.

"What would you do with this knowledge? You wouldn't go to the empire, and it wouldn't help to tell your own army while we're still under empire rule."

The trip was silent the rest of the way. It took only a couple more minutes climbing up the mountain before they reached a wooden gate. Several more guards stood atop the wall surrounding it. Trejon acknowledged them and they allowed his party in, but only after confiscating the hylian weapons. Inside proved to have many surprising elements. Not only were there soldiers, but houses with civilians who simply desired to live outside empire law. It was like a mountain paradise. Link was perplexed at the sight, almost wishing he had lived here instead.

Trejon led everyone to a cabin near the center of the camp. There was a flag hanging next to it, a red flag with a white frame and a foreign symbol in gold that Link couldn't recognize. Inside the cabin were three humans: an old man reading over a book, a woman writing on several pieces of parchment at once, and a young man brandishing his halberd (obviously the guard). Trejon took this opportunity to present the guests to them. "Master Gilbert and Mistress Sil, I present to you Lord Aric of House Maukro, accompanied by several hylians from the north."

Mistress Sil looked up uninterested, and continued to write. Master Gilbert stood up from his chair while closing his book. "Thank you, Trejon. That will be all."

Trejon saw himself out while Master Gilbert approached Lord Aric. "Lord Aric, I'm pleased to see you here. We've been waiting for an opportunity to expand our attacks to something more . . . critical. Too long have we been making simple raids."

Aric shook his hand whole-heartedly. "My friend, I'm pleased to hear you say that. The emperor will soon meet his end, and we will establish a new, free kingdom."

They began to sit down at the table Lady Sil was working at. Lord Aric spoke plainly, "As you can see, I've brought some allies to help us."

Gilbert glanced at his companions, he squinted carefully, but seemed unsure. He snapped his fingers, and the halberd-bearing man came over and handed Gilbert his glasses. Once he had them on he took another look at them. His mouth opened as if to say "ah" while nodding his head. "You've brought hylian companions, I see. Do they represent their government?"

"No, they've come to represent an outlying village that was burned and destroyed. They would like to help us overthrow the emperor . . . but they do have a question for you."

"Oh?" Gilbert turned to the elder hylian, assuming he was the leader of the troop. "Is there something you wanted to know?"

"Master Gilbert," Auru began. He did his best not offend their soon-to-be ally. "As Lord Aric stated, we represent the outlying village of Ordon. It was burned down by a group of mounted humans. Everyone was killed. Now after speaking with the buko, Lord Aric and just seeing you here, we can see that you are not particularly interested in going to war with us, yet we've been lead to believe that it was your riders that did attack us. I don't believe it, but we'd like to hear it from you before we agree to anything."

"When did this alleged attack occur?"

"About twelve days ago."

Master Gilbert nodded again. He turned back towards Mistress Sil. "Did we make any attacks in that direction?"

Lady Sil looked around at her papers, searching for one in particular. When she found it, she skimmed through it looking for whatever it was that would answer his question. "The last raid we had up north was against Lord Sekun's convoy heading towards the Diamond. That was eight days ago. The time before that was against Lady Uliva six days before that."

Again with a nod, Gilbert spoke, "In that case, I'd say we're not responsible, at least not on my orders. If there is anything we can do to help you with that . . ."

"We'd appreciate that," Auru followed through for him. "But there is little left to be rebuilt. We'd be content to just help you here with your war effort."

"Well, we need all the help we can get." Gilbert reached over to Mistress Sil. "Have you laid out a strategy yet?"

Sil sighed in resignation while she pulled up a large map from inside a table drawer. It showed the whole of Silidan from its western beaches to its eastern valley to the Yarna Wastelands. It had each of the ten noble houses marked. The ones that had outlying villages were marked in red, and ones with villages inside of their walls marked in orange. She began to lay out her set plan. "We don't have the manpower to attack any of these keeps directly. My strategy is to have small units make their ways to each of these keeps with outlying villages. They'll need to start making standings with each respective lord so that they will gain access inside the keep. When they have reached a proper standing, they will send word back to us. We'll set up a strong attack unit to sneak into town, and with the help of our inside people, they'll get in while the keep's soldiers are unaware. It can be taken in a night without awareness."

Gilbert looked at Lord Aric, who sat there stroking his beard. "I don't know. It's a great strategy in concept, but in practice I don't believe it will work."

Mistress Sil was more than a little disappointed. She was similar to Ashei in some ways. "What makes you so sure?"

Auru actually took the opportunity to explain. "Mistress Sil, it's a very time-consuming strategy and is pinning a lot of luck on your infiltrators being successful. If I'm not mistaken, we need to hurry if we're going to take out the empire before they figure out what's going on and counterattack. Besides which, from my understanding, it's the keeps with the villages _inside_ their walls that are more powerful. If we want to punch a hole in the empire, we'd need to take those ones out."

"That's a very good point," Gilbert stated with, yet again, another nod. It seemed that he enjoyed bobbing his head in acknowledgement. "But do you propose to having a better strategy?"

Auru stepped up to the map. "We need to lay siege to these castles. It's much easier to keep word from getting out when the villages are inside the walls. As you have stated before, we don't have much manpower, but these are not castles, they're just keeps. They don't have the same armaments to protect themselves. All we'll need are some clever tactics in order to get inside."

"Like what?" Mistress Sil requested.

"I haven't come up with anything yet, but that's why we're here. If you can tell me the extent of your troops I can come up with something that will work with them."

"Well that sounds great." Master Gilbert said as he rose from his seat. "We can do that now. If your friends here would like to acquaint themselves with the rest of our camp, they are free to do so. Tell Trejon that I'm authorizing you to have your weapons returned to you."

Auru bowed mildly with a smile before taking a seat at the table as well. Link and the others saw themselves out. It was still bright that day, and there was lots of time left before the sun would go down. They hurried to Trejon who gave them back their weapons. "If you're curious, we've a training ground near the cliff. They have swords and pole arms to train with. There's also a mountain spring behind the trees to the north, but only women are allowed there for the next couple hours. Finally, we have a race track for those interested in working with their horses."

Trejon soon returned to his post leaving Link and his friends to talk amongst themselves. It was Rusl who spoke first. "Well, what are we going to do?"

"I'm in no particular hurry," Shad stated. "I'll just find a shady spot to read my books."

"I'm interested in the training ground," Link announced. Rusl thought that sounded good. "Perhaps we can help them out. It will make this war go more smoothly if they could become as good as us."

Rusl began to run over towards them. Link followed, but stopped to turn towards Ashei who was going the opposite way. "You're not going with us?"

"Not a chance." She said with a sly tone to her voice. "I'm going to that mountain spring. I haven't had a decent bath in a long time."

"You didn't use the one at Lord Aric's mansion?" Shad teased. "What are you, a barbarian?"

"No, you dolt! I was too angry to do anything last night. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to fix that."

She continued to strut away from them. Shad couldn't help but stare. Then he realized Link was watching him stare. He started to turn red. Link just shook his head and smiled.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

The spring was the size of a small lake. There was a waterfall at the far end, where a number of young ladies were residing underneath. Ashei could see the steam rising, making the water appear murky, but once she was close enough, she could tell it was pretty clear. The others at the spring didn't seem to see her at all, apparently enjoying their own company too much to even look in her direction. She chose not to disturb them as she tested the water. Her hand dipped into the lake and rose it back up. It was certainly hot, but not enough to burn her tongue as she took a drink. It was surprisingly sweet as well, not incredibly so; just sweeter than expected.

She sat down next to the bank and began to drop her equipment. Her gauntlets were first, next were her boots. Everything else came in time, but then she noticed something about that the women on the far side. It seemed that they were wearing a form of swimming gown, which Ashei did not possess. Still, she tried her best to not let it bother her. Eventually, Ashei had stripped down to her small clothes, but she kept the belt of the scabbard around her waste, a habit she had gotten into should monsters attack, or unwanted eyes pried too close. Finally, she slid into the water.

The bank was a bit shallow, so she moved closer to the middle. The water was extremely soothing. For a little while, she just closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling. She had not bathed at an open water source for a long time. It was so relaxing that she had no idea that a number of young maids began to circle around her. They began to murmur amongst themselves, and that's when Ashei's senses came back to her. Staring at her were five pairs of eyes. She began to blush, and the others began to laugh.

"What's the matter?" The eldest one said who looked to be in her late forties. "Never swam around other women before?"

Ashei found it impossible to respond. She didn't know what her answer was. All of a sudden, she felt incredibly embarrassed and she couldn't find a reason why. The others laughed again, but at least she could tell they were laughing less _at_ her and more about the situation she had put herself in. It still didn't help. Then one of the girls pointed at her ears. Ashei was surprised it took so long for them to notice, but they were all in awe looking at them.

"So you're one of those hylians from the north?" The elder spoke again. "We've not seen any around here before. Of course I don't know why you'd want to come down here. From what _I've_ heard, you all have a snooty attitude just like them Diamond citizens."

"Well, uh, didn't mean any harm." Being placed in such an awkward position, she found herself acting completely out of her normal character. It was something that very rarely happened. She slowly attempted to drift deeper into the water to hide herself. The others continued to murmur to themselves until one of the younger girls shoved her way to the front and pointed directly at Ashei's face.

"It's her! That's the girl that saved me when I got lost with Priscilla!"

"You mean _this_ woman fought off a _giant_ dodongo?" The elder started pointing at her too. The little girl nodded. Ashei quickly recalled the event of her first night on guard in Silidan. The young girl riding off on a mare tripping before a giant boulder that unfolded into a monster. She had fired off several arrows, but it was actually Auru's weapon that drove the creature off. All she did was draw his attention. Still, the girl had shown to be extremely grateful. It was enough to make all the other girls in the pool to stop laughing.

"Well if you're a friend of Mizu, you're a friend of ours." Instantly, all the others began to talk aloud trying to ask her a number of different questions, none of which were clear with them talking over each other. Ashei let out a breath, not realizing how long she had been holding it. Suddenly, there was no shame to be felt, just curiosity. One of them, a girl a few years younger than Ashei, approached her a little closer. "Why is your skin so white?"

Ashei looked at herself, and then at each of them. All five had darker, tanned skins that she thought was from working in the sun, but they had no tan lines. She chose to reply in earnest. "I lived in the mountains where it snows most of the time. The sun doesn't shine so brightly."

"Oh!" One of the youngest girls giggled as she poked Ashei's arm. Another pointed at her ears. "They're so long! They're beautiful!"

"Thank you." Slowly and steadily Ashei was beginning to loosen up. The air around her was far friendlier than when she had first arrived. With the other girls' disposition towards her now in a higher regard, she felt that there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Soon they had calmed down and began asking about Hyrule itself. Ashei took her leisure as she explained about their situation up north and their reason for coming down.

Mizu, the young girl she had rescued, spared no detail in how Ashei had saved her as well. Though it wasn't the first time telling them, they acted just as surprised as the first time they'd heard it. They were in awe that a woman whose physical appearance was so regal could be so rough and tough. Being fawned over was a new experience for her. So far, she was handling it very well.

"So why do hylians hate us so much?" Ashei heard one ask. She spun her head to face the woman whom had done so. The look on her face indicated that she seriously believed that hylians _did_ hate the humans of Silidan. She replied with an honest. "We don't."

"Then why didn't you do anything when the emperor ruined our land?"

Ashei was confused. "You mean recently? I . . . can't speak for all of us. Recently, we had a problem of our own that took up quite a lot of our own resources."

"You're saying that you would have if you weren't?" She was persistent, but there was a truly sincere curiosity in her voice. Ashei was about to answer her when she heard something coming from the rocks at the riverbank. "I . . . excuse me a second."

She squirmed between the circle of women to get a closer look. Somebody was hiding behind the rocks. She'd assumed that they were the prying eyes of some adolescent men, but as she approached, she noticed their lack of almost any human characteristics. They were small and hunched over, but the biggest reveal was their green skin. That was enough to startle her.

"Bulblins!" She hollered at the top of her lungs before diving underneath the water. The others turned to see what she was screaming about. With their cover blown, the green creatures hopped out and started chattering loudly. The human women all began screaming and swimming to the farthest end of the pool. The camp was not too far, and they knew that it wasn't hard to alert the nearest guards of trouble with a mere scream. The bulblins soon rushed after them, some wading through the water while others waddled around the spring.

Those that had chosen the watery path were in for a surprise. Ashei, now prepared with sword in hand, rose from the water long enough to slice up a pair. The next two, seeing their companions dropped so quickly, aimed their bows at the water and attempted to fire at anything that moved. It was fortunate for Ashei that the arrows lost nearly all momentum the instant they struck the water, for she was able to repeat her previous actions without incident.

The last two in the water were beginning to think harder than the others, pulling out long clubs instead. Instead of swiping aimlessly, they waited for Ashei to make an appearance. Suddenly, they saw something being hurled towards them. They both bat at it with speed. They connected, but only to find that it was an empty scabbard. Now distracted, Ashei rose up once more and killed them both with one fell swoop.

The woman warrior gazed over the bank to find the last ones. Another five bulblins were still waddling over towards the women at the other end. If her new friends were smart, they'd make as much distance between themselves and the bulblins while staying in the water. If they could do that, she could sneak up on them at the foot of the bank and take them all really quickly. She dove down once more to get as close as she could. Thanks to the clear water, she could tell that the bulblins were waiting on the bank with their bows aiming down at the girls. Once again, she rose up to cut as many as she could. Two died instantly while a third was wounded. The other two were unscathed. She still had enough time to strike again before they could finally counter. Her sword finished the wounded one as well as his closest comrade. She tried to dive back in haste, but the final bulblin was ready and fired an arrow at her.

Ashei was not so lucky anymore.

The arrow had struck her thigh. The pain was unbearable. It felt like it was cramping up too. Ashei had to choose whether to die of drowning, or to risk returning to the shallow waters where the bulblin was still close. She decided that if there was a chance she could finish that damned creature, she'd take it. Still swimming like a finless fish, she approached the shallow waters, hoping that the bulblin would not be expecting her. With her resolve reaching its limit, she rose up once more, sword high above her head, only to fall over in pain. Her leg was too damaged to allow her to fight back. She waited for the final blow that did not come.

Realizing the possibility that someone had come to assist them, she tilted her head up to see what had happened. Link, Rusl and a few other human guards stood above her. Obviously, they had dispatched the last bulblin and now desired to check her wound. She was in too much pain to care of her exposed nature, and did her best to reveal her wounded leg. Link had the other guards help the women in the water while he began to circle the area searching for any last remnants of the creatures.

Rusl examined the wound. He drew his breath in before responding, "It looks bad, but you _might_ be okay. The arrowhead is sticking out the other side, but there's no excessive bleeding. If we pull this out and it begins to do so, it might mean that-"

"Dammit, Rusl! Don't tell me about it, just fix it!" Ashei was seething in pain, and her voice echoed her frustration. Rusl nodded, "I don't have the necessary equipment. Give me a minute and I'll get on it. Do you need anything from your gear?"

"_Just_ my clothes." She replied sarcastically. Rusl nodded again and brought them over before heading back up towards the camp. Ashei was not going to let the arrow in her leg stop her from dressing, so she took her trousers and cut them length-wise from the top down to where the arrow would be. It still took some time to get them on while lying on the ground. It was going to take a while at her crippled rate.

* * *

Link rushed through the trees following a trail that he'd picked up at the edge of the spring. If he was correct, there was a camp of bulblins not too far away, and he wanted to take care of them quickly while they were still unaware of their surroundings. In the back of his mind, he was wishing he had been faster to helping Ashei. Maybe if he were that much more expeditious, he could have prevented her wound.

He shook such feelings away at the sight of small tents. He sped up his pace while drawing his sword and shield. This was going to be as quick as possible. He hopped off a rock while raising his sword and landed just behind an unsuspecting bulblin. With it gone, he could survey the camp. A decent twenty-odd bulblins were now scrambling to face him. He stood in his most aggressive stance daring any of them to strike first. To his surprise, they were all halted by the sound of a booming voice.

"HOLD!"

All the bulblins stopped instantly at the voice. Link turned to see the one speaking. He recognized the over-sized bulblin as the one who had invadedOrdonVillagea year ago. They had faced off against each other numerous times, Link coming out on top every single time. During their last encounter, he had spoken in Link's language telling him that he and his fellow bulblins would leave Hyrule. He had not seen a single one since then.

"You." The King Bulblin approached Link pointing his large axe at him, but showed no threat in his own stance. "I remember you."

"And I, you." Link responded. Perhaps a fight would not be necessary. He slowly withdrew from his stance, indicating he was open to discussion. "What are you doing in these mountains?"

"I led my brethren here after a long trail from the Gerudo Desert and the Yarna Wasteland. We have found the roaming beasts to be a substantial and challenging prey to feast upon. A group of these animals you call goriyas ran to the hills. We followed them here."

"Well, a couple of your scouts tried to prey on some of our women. We had to kill them."

"Ugh." He was displeased to hear this. "It seems that I must repeat my lesson on what is permitted now."

Link was glad to hear that his displeasure was not as harsh as he'd expected. He was also surprised at his story. Instead of heading south through Ordon, they had taken the long way around to reach Silidan. That was no simple task. Actually, Link thought to himself, the bulblins still respected him. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage. "If it's okay, I'd like to ask you a favor."

The king bulblin eyed him curiously. "How so?"

"I have some friends here who are trying to overthrow the current empire. They could use all the help they could get."

"Hmm." The massive monster was intrigued. "The king of this land has attempted to scatter us every chance he's had when we have made no attempt to strike at them."

He took a moment to hash it over, turning to his smaller brethren. They made no motion to indicate their own personal thoughts. Perhaps that was how their society played out, Link pondered. Before too long, the king turned back towards his former nemesis. "We will join you in your cause, on the condition that we may take these mountains as our own."

Link knew he couldn't guarantee that, but he suspected that once the empire was gone, the renegades would not need them. "I'm sure my friends will find your terms reasonable."

The hylian led his new friend with a small escort back to the camp. The guards were skeptical at first, but Link assured them of their intent. Once they were ushered through, both Auru and Gilbert appeared to welcome them. Both older men were quite astonished at the sight. Auru was the first to speak "My friend, you still surprise me with the companions you make."

Gilbert bowed lowly to his new guests. "If you truly wish to help us, we'd enjoy your company. I am Master Gilbert. And you are . . ."

"Korgmaw." The king stated his name for the first time. "If you are friends of this hylian man, we will assist you."

The three continued to acquaint themselves with each other. Link quietly left them to check up on Ashei. They were in a nearby cabin with the label "Hospital" written over it. Both Rusl and Shad were inside overseeing her. The arrow was out with a bandage placed over the wound. She had finally fallen asleep most likely due to exhaustion.

"The doctor says she'll be okay," Rusl explained to Link. "But it's going to take some time for it to heal properly. I'll be watching over her in case something goes wrong."

Link nodded. Shad actually was quite excited, but he assumed that it was over something else. "Link, I've just finished reading over the book on the dead language. I think I've got a strong enough understanding to use it."

"That's good." Link knew that meant he could return to the graveyard. He turned to Rusl next. "If we're going to be staying here for a while in any case, I'd like for Shad and I to head back to that forest."

"If that's what you want, then go ahead. I'll let the others know, and if something happens, I'll send Cranis your way."

Link thanked him before leaving. When they left the hospital, he took a moment to look for Harmless while Shad prepared their mounts to use the lift at the edge of the cliff. The scholar was prepared, while Link took a moment making a mental checklist. Swift horses, trusty companions, and all gear and equipment ready. Looked like everything was good, but even if he didn't know what exactly awaited them at the gravesite, Link did know that the truth would finally reveal itself.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

For the first time since they'd arrived in Silidan, Link and Shad had to travel over four days straight before reaching their destination. Though briefly slowed by an attack of goriyas early after leaving the SlumberingMountains, they had a rather uneventful journey. Shad was a bit of a bother along the way, claiming that the speed they were going on their horses was making him sick, but he soon got used to it. Link was itching to get back to the forest with the gravesite. He _needed_ to find out what the hidden message read and what significance it'd prove to be.

Reaching the forest was the easy part. The difficulty was trying to remember where the gravesite was. All Link could recall was that it was almost directly south of where he, Ashei and Rusl had camped earlier that week. Since they also did not follow the road into the woods this time, he couldn't retrace those steps either. Instead, he left it up to Harmless to guide them along the way. Their faithful wolf was more than happy to lead them through the treacherous woods along all sorts of winding paths and bumpy terrain.

What surprised Shad the most was the fact that the canine was able to run as fast as their horses and not even seem tired. If he didn't know better, he'd say that the wolf was less tired than even himself after the long trip. Link had mentioned to him along the way how Harmless was able to run the dead spirits away when he and Ashei were being overrun by them the first time they'd visited the graves, suggesting that their beastly companion was far more than what he appeared to be. It was a relief for Shad too. He wasn't fond of the idea of walking into a grave of wandering spirits that wanted them dead as well, but he hated the idea that they couldn't even be seen without Link's Mask of Truth, or be hurt at all by physical means.

After another hour of careful trotting, Link noticed the lights again. The only lights in the woods belonged to the graveyard. He instantly became more aware of his surroundings. Though he could not see the lost souls, he remembered the sounds they made; that low humming pitch of theirs. He remembered it well. Thinking back on it, it sounded less menacing and more sorrowful. Perhaps they were moaning out of sadness, but they lashed out of anger. Still, as long as Harmless could keep them back while he and Shad looked over the grand gravestone, things should go smoothly.

"These fire posts give these grounds an eerie light." Shad commented aloud. "I'm _really_ beginning to wish I wasn't so necessary for this."

Link let a grin streak across his face. "Surely you weren't expecting this to be a cozy spot to settle down, were you?"

Shad glared back at him, not amused at his remark. Link turned back to the front, noting that they were about to enter the ring of lights. He then abruptly halted his horse, causing Shad to react in the same manner. With a motion of his hand, the two hylians dismounted their horses, and tied their reigns onto a nearby tree branch. Link didn't want the horses to get scared should things go awry inside the gravesite, deciding that the best thing would be to leave them just outside the grave perimeter. Then, without further hesitation, they walked cautiously into the gravesite.

The lights seemed dimmer than before, giving credit to Shad's earlier statement. While Harmless continued to survey the grounds, Shad and Link approached the large stone. Shad was quick to gawk over the engravings. "So fascinating! A tribute to their history! I'd not have thought them to remember such a dreaded history."

"Considering the deserted nature of these grounds, I'd say they were _very_ quick to forget." Link countered as he began to pull out his mask. He then handed it over to Shad. "Look at this seemingly empty block with the mask on, and start translating out loud."

Shad nodded and began to do so. After awing the nature of the mask, he slowly began to decipher the foreign symbols. Though quick to learn the language in his book, it took him time to recall what all the symbols meant. However, he seemed to be taking a lot more time to figure them out than anticipated. Quietly, the moaning of the dead began to return. Shad paused briefly, hearing their dreadful sounds. He tried to turn to see them, but Link stopped him. "Don't worry about them, just finish translating."

"Okay." He took another deep breath as he finished another line. The humming was getting louder. Link turned to Harmless, who simply sat there looking back at him. He didn't understand what was wrong with him, but he knew they didn't have the time to worry about it. Shad let out a gasp, catching Link's attention. "I've finished, but I'm not sure it'll help."

"Doesn't matter what you think, just tell me what it is." Link was starting to speak faster, cautious of the pending threat looming nearby. Shad wasted no time at his remark. "_Those resting here cannot forget their crime, but they have lost the will to accept it. Only when the sound of their moaning meets with the sound of their mourning will the path be opened before you._"

Link was confused, and the spirits could be heard getting louder. Time was being wasted. "Okay, they're already moaning. What's the sound of their mourning?"

"I'm not sure but . . . wait a moment!" Shad turned to Link while removing his mask. "In highly cultured regions, people mourning at a funeral sing a song to commemorate their dead."

At that, Harmless barked loudly. Link spun to it to see that he was barking at him, and not in the direction of the dead. How did he know . . . perhaps he _did_ have the proper tool. Without hesitation, Link lunged his hand into his knapsack, desperately in search of his last gift from Mandrakos. Then, without further hesitation, he withdrew the small, hand-crafted music box and opened it.

For a moment, he couldn't even here it over the cacophonous noises of the dead, but they seemed to sense it in a way that he could not. Soon, their own soundings subsided as well as any outlying sounds. All that could be heard was the small music box. Link had not forgotten the melody that the eccentric bard had performed for him, but hearing the _Sorrow of_ _Silidan_ aloud again made him feel great sadness. Slowly, he found himself reminiscing about Ilia once again, and longing for her deeply. Even Shad had fallen victim to the haunting rhythm, whom had found himself lowering his head in reverence.

Then the unexpected happened. The moaning picked up again, but not in its original form. They had begun to sing with the music box. They sung for what felt like an eternity, but it was only for the length of the song. After the song had died away, the spirits appeared before them. This was the first time Link got to see them, and they truly were horrific creatures. They were disfigured, almost unrecognizable, but still human. What surprised Link the most was the fact that the number of spirits before them seemed to outnumber the graves surrounding the area. Still, that was irrelevant since the spirits appeared before them.

"_You . . . _" The one closest to Link raised a bony finger at him. His voice was low and grumbled. "_You have . . . remembered for us . . . but we will forget again . . . unless you see . . . that what we've refused to see . . . within this tomb._"

Instantly after his haunting words, the great gravestone behind him began to move. It slid slowly backwards, revealing a passageway deep within it. Link looked at Shad, who was more than slightly hesitant to go in.

"If it's alright," Shad began. "I'd prefer to stay up here."

Link just sighed and shook his head. Shad didn't even attempt to put up anymore of a fight. He even went down first, pulling out his lantern to light the way down the dark staircase. Link also motioned for Harmless to follow, who did so immediately. Soon, the three had disappeared into the depths of the tomb.

The staircase lasted for sometime. At Shad's estimate, they were well beneath the ground set for the other tombs, which would indicate that they would soon be entering a large cavern. When they did reach the bottom, all they found was a simple door. Shad opened it to reveal the remnants of a vast temple. Link took the lead as they crept inside, examining the grounds they were on. Little by little, they crept across the paved walkway. They noticed a single beam of light penetrating the center of the room from the ceiling, despite the fact that it was dark outside. At the end of the walkway, they encountered a trio of doors, with grand drawings surrounding them.

The center door was the grandest, but was blocked by two separate locks. The other two were shut, one sealed by unknown means, while the other was accessible. Link began to realize the similarities to this temple and the numerous others he had infiltrated during the Twilight Incident. If he was lucky, this one wouldn't be nearly as grand as the others. He faced Shad once more who was quietly overlooking the mysterious ruins. He tried to get his attention.

"Shad!" He almost startled him. "Are you going to stay in this room, or are you going to follow me?"

"Uh . . . " He couldn't hide the tension in his voice, so Link just shook his head and responded for him, knowing the answer. "All right, you can stay. Keep him company, Harmless."

The wolf instantly circled around Shad in a watchful manner. Link took that as his cue to move on. He slid open the one free door and stepped inside, allowing the door to slam closed behind him. It didn't even surprise him anymore. The chamber he had entered was much darker, and had the look of a simple hallway. He was going to need his own lantern, which he quickly swiped out and lit. The newly illuminated passageways seemingly offered little to challenge him. Still, he treaded carefully, watching for anything that moved.

At the end of the hallway, he noticed a statue. It was a large and powerful statue, almost twice his height, and almost as wide as the hallway itself. He approached the massive statue, weary of the possibility of a trap. When it did not attempt to strike him, he became puzzled. There was nowhere else to go while the statue was still there, since it blocked the only probable place for a door. If he was going to get anywhere, he'd need to get behind it. Perhaps it was like an armos statue, and he'd have to touch it to get it to move. And if it attacked, he'd have to fight it as well. He had no choice, so he tapped the statue with the tip of his sword.

Instantly, the statue began to resonate, as it slowly stood up, picking up a large ax that was hanging from the ceiling above him; Link had missed that. Now the armored figure was armed with a weapon that would almost certainly kill him with a single blow. Still, the figure was slow to move and react. If he could use that to his advantage, he could sneak behind it. Keeping that in mind, he quickly approached the creature, presenting himself in range of its dreaded axe.

The monstrosity was quick to learn, as it instantly began its slow swing across the room at him. Link was able to roll underneath it and end up right behind it. To further his luck even more, the axe it had swung had caught in the wall. Not to his luck, the door was still sealed so he knew he'd have to defeat the creature. He attempted to hack at its armor, hoping it was weak enough to break off, but it was far stronger than his sword. At this moment, the creature had pulled its axe out of the wall and was turning about to face Link again, who simply rolled underneath it again.

This time, he tried to climb on top of it, but he discovered that the figure's body was far too large around for him to grasp. Again, the monstrosity turned to face Link, who decided to step away while he planned his next attempt. Armor wouldn't come off, he couldn't climb the creature and the hallway was too narrow for the creature to somehow hurt itself with its axe. The only weak spot was the figure's helmet. Link moved into the creature's range once more. This time, it swung its axe down onto Link, which he easily sidestepped away from the attack. Once the axe was caught in the ground, he leapt onto it and raced up the creature's arm and up towards its head. Once he'd firmly set his legs around the shoulders of the creature, he began to remove its helmet.

Though slow, the monster was not going to allow him the pleasure. Once it pulled its axe off of the ground, it turned to face the nearest wall, and slammed its head against it as hard as it could. Since Link was wrapped around its head from the back, he was not smashed against the wall. However, he did nearly fall off at the sudden impact. After fixing his own position, he noticed how the helmet had been damaged. When the creature pulled itself back out from the wall, it attempted to slam Link off again from behind. Link maneuvered away from the blow, allowing the helmet to take the entire blow. The helmet was ready to come off. Link pried it open using his sword as leverage. It came off with a pop, and the beast inside was revealed.

The beast's face resembled that of an ox's skull. It made no noise, as Link began to swing viciously at the creature's bony structure. After a pair of swipes, the head came off and the beast fell down. Once Link jumped off the wreckage of armor, it all vanished in a puff of black smoke, and the door behind it opened.

Link hurriedly got on the other side of the door. It was surprisingly empty, with little more than a small chest inside. Yet, it seemed off. There was a beam of light shining several feet behind it, but nothing in its spotlight. He could not see anything else in the room that might help him solve the riddle, so he just opened the chest in front of him. It was empty.

So he reached a dead end. He knew that he had to find a pair of keys that would allow him into the main doorway, and this place _had_ to have one of them. Then an idea occurred to him. He closed the chest up and moved it back into the light. Then he opened it again. When the rays of light shown through, a key took form. Link smiled as he took the treasure before leaving. He quickly headed back towards the main room where Shad and Harmless were still waiting. Shad was relieved to see him still alive.

"I heard lots of clanging over there," Shad began. "Are you okay?"

"Very good, actually." Link showed off his key to him. Shad marveled his skills before remembering something. "Oh, the other door on this side was unsealed while you were away."

"Good," Link stated. "I'll be heading over there now. Hold onto this while I do."

He tossed him the key as he marched down into the newly opened door. This room was of a different shape than the last hallway. It was much wider, but not as tall as the last, and there was no door at the end. Wherever the key was hidden, it would have to be in here.

Searching the area for clues, he noticed another set of beaming lights, each a different color, that shined down on nothing. He wondered if there were any other objects around that he'd need to have shown into the light, but there were none to be found. Instead, he decided to step into the light of each one and see what happened. The white one did nothing. Red one felt slightly hotter, but nothing. The blue was slightly colder, but again, nothing. The final yellow one had him feel a gust of wind, but without surprise, nothing happened. Regardless, something minute was different about each one, and he needed to determine how to get them to react.

He looked up at the sources of the light, and noticed that they were being generated by some sorts of mirrors. The interesting thing was that there was an axis on each light determining what angle the light would be shining. Perhaps if he got them to all come together, something would appear. They were too tall for him to reach, but he was not discouraged. He merely pulled out his old slingshot. Loading it with some old pumpkin seeds, he took aim and fired at the axis of the first one.

It went the wrong way. Still, he knew there was some validation in his plan, and attempted to moved over to fix the problem. This time it worked, pushing the light to shine directly in the middle of the room. Link continued to follow suit with the other lights until they all sat in the center. He was about to step into the estranged lights again, but was halted by the sound of a shrieking foe.

Seemingly generated from the light, a mysterious creature appeared. It didn't seem to have a physical form aside from a pair of dark red glowing eyes, which offset the raggedy robes it wore. Link wished to know what it was, but had little time to figure it out as it soon began to hover towards him. Link swiped at him with his sword, only to find no connection and to feel a raging heat in his hand. He almost dropped his sword when he had done so, but was able to endure the pain. He decided to keep his distance for now and allow the creature to follow his steps.

Then something happened. The ghostly visage's eyes changed into a cold bluish hue. Link wondered why it did so, as he tried to swipe at the creature again. Still no connection, but instead of the fiery heat he was expecting to feel, it had changed into an intense cold. That had to be it. The eyes corresponded to the colors of the light. When he'd stepped into them, they each made him feel different. Except for the white one. That had nothing. That would be his chance to attack.

He continued circling around the room, waiting for the aberration's eyes to turn white. When it did so, he hacked into it with as much ferocity as he could muster. Each slash connected with something, causing the abomination to shriek each time. To his luck, he was able to kill it before it had a chance to change colors again. With another puff of smoke, it too vanished into nothingness.

Then another treasure chest appeared in the center of the lights. Link opened it to the last key appearing before him. He took it without hesitation and hurried on back to the main room. Again, Shad appeared worried about what had happened, but Link assured him all was well by simply replying, "Let's open this door now."

Shad nodded as they both approached the massive door in the center room. They each put in a key and turned them. The keys then vanished as the chains enveloping the door were cut. Then the door opened slowly. To both of the hylians' surprise, behind the door was a tiny room holding only a chest.

Link approached the chest suspiciously, but did not waste anytime opening it. Even after slightly lifting up the top, he could see the light attempting to pour out of it. After hurling the top back, he found himself encompassed by the light it was producing. Reaching in, he felt around to grip the item, and found it to be the length of a shield. He then pulled the object out to inspect it closely. It turned out he was right in his assumption of it being a shield, but what surprised him most was the face of it. It was that of a mirror and the light was a reflection of himself. When he looked into the mirror, he did not see himself, but rather a mass of pure light.

He turned to the shield towards Shad. "Shad, what do you see in your reflection?"

The young scholar looked closely at the mysterious shield, lifting his glasses several times to be sure. "Just myself. Why, didn't you?"

Link shook his head. The shield was clearly of magical forging, and had great purpose behind it. Still, he couldn't help but feel that they were not done in the ruins. Perhaps there was more to this main room than it first appeared. He spoke to Shad again. "Have you made any distinctions with the drawings around the doors?"

Shad sort of muttered to himself before responding. "Well, I tried, but it's kind of incomplete. I tried looking again through the mask, but saw nothing."

"Perhaps we need to shine some light on it." Link murmured to himself, staring at the once seemingly pointless stand of light in the center of the room. Using his shield as a reflector, he motioned the light towards the mural surrounding the doors. Slowly, new markings were made in place of the missing segments, and Shad was able to translate.

"This temple belonged to an ancient spirit that protected the land. These paintings represent the different times it has stepped up to heal it. It seems that there have been _many_ attempts to defile the land, because I count over thirty different endeavors over an amount of time that I could only presume to be a thousand years. The revealed parts seem to be indigenous words that have no translation to our language."

"Can you still read them aloud?"

"Let me try . . . _Traptis _. . . _Huranoos_ . . . _Veran_ . . . _Croptige_ . . . _Saloro_!"

At that instant, the mural lit up, only to disappear a second later. Then a rumbling began as another hidden passageway even deeper into the temple was revealed near the base of the light.

Link quickly began heading down the stairs, Harmless just steps behind him while Shad was confused at his hurry. "Why must you insist on this rush?"

"Because I need to know what's really happened to Silidan."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

The door led to another staircase. Unlike the first one that spiraled down, this one was straight and was only dug deep enough to bore underneath the current structure. It was also much longer. It felt like an eternity, pacing carefully down the wayward steps, but in reality, it had only been a few minutes. Monotony tended to make everyday actions seem much longer than they already were. If there was one thing that annoyed Link more than anything, it was the incessant need of ancient architects to create ridiculously elaborate labyrinthine structures that slowed his work down.

Of course, it wasn't like he could tell them to change it, even if he was in a graveyard where the creator of this particular one was probably buried. It was just something that he would have to deal with. At least he was finally sharing the experience with someone who wasn't hidden in his shadow. He even talked more.

"I must say," Shad continued his rather long rant. It seemed to be a defense mechanism he implemented when scared. "Despite the rather terrifying nature of this particular journey we've made, it's also perhaps the most intriguing I've ever been on."

"What, did you suddenly lose your fascination with the oocca?" Link said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. Shad was not amused. "I lost that when I finally SAW one."

It made Link laugh, regardless of Shad's intended disposition.

Suddenly, Link stopped dead in his tracks. The quick gesture, almost made Shad stumble, but he caught himself early enough not to run into him. Before he could ask why he'd stopped, he began to hear it too. A faint, sucking sound on the other side of the distant door. It was a horrific sound, as if a grand creature was gorging on a massive meal. Shad instantly shrunk back in fear. "Link, I can't go any further until I know this place is safe."

Link nodded, drawing his new shield and sword in the process. He nodded at Harmless, who circled around Shad once before taking a guarding stance, ensuring Link that he would protect Shad should he befall something within the chamber. Slowly, he approached the massive gated door. There was another beam of light just before the door, and a large black jewel at it's center. Link aimed his shield so that the light from the ceiling reflected into the jewel. When it shown a bright white, he heard the clamps on the door snap open, and slowly slide open. Finally, Link got a good look at what was making the sucking sound.

A large monstrosity, in the gaseous form of a black creature, was lapping away at a pool of water on the far end of the circular room. It's back was too him, so it did not quite notice the young man's approach. As the hylian crept carefully closer to the vicious beast, he began to notice some more intricate details to the scene at hand. The creature's head took the form of a wolf, but unlike that of his companion, this creature was clearly of a different lot. It's intentions and desires were pure evil. He could see it in it's bloody, lidless eyes, and it's dripping relentless fangs. But the one thing that provided all the proof he needed, was the sight of another, smaller creature within the water. It tried to escape the teeth of it's captor, but every time it did, the massive monster would grab it again, and would continue to feast upon it.

Link couldn't let this go on any longer. With sword and shield, he dashed towards the beast. With a loud shout he struck the beast . . . only to have his sword swish right through his dark form. It did, however, draw it's attention away from it's meal and onto him. Slowly, it turned and faced it's prey, and roared in his face. It sounded like the cries of lost souls, reaching out for help. Then the creature swiped a paw at him. Though his form seemed to be more ethereal than physical, Link did not want to take the chance of being hit by such a large claw. He leapt a good couple feet away while he formulated a plan.

He noticed that there were several holes in the ceiling, but they were covered by some sort of shutter. Perhaps they held beams of light that he could shine upon the monster. He took his bow and prepped an arrow with a bomb. Maybe just enough force would cause them to open. He fired away, but missed, finding it difficult to aim while running from the monster. Also, the ceiling was too high to hit with the extra weight of the bomb. As he tried again, he found this his hopes were to no avail. The creature had jumped onto the ceiling, and hovered over the shudder he was aiming for. He considered just aiming at another one, but it seemed far less likely to hit.

As he continued to ponder on how to react, the creature dropped back down, trying to land on the young man. Link luckily was able to dodge the deadly assault, which then he noticed the side effect of the minor earthquake that he had caused. That's when a pair of the shutters opened up, but instead of holding back the light, it showed nothing. Again, his latest plan was completely shattered. He kept moving to avoid the beast's claws and teeth, but he still had no clue as to how to beat the monster. Again, the monster made an unexpected move, reeling it's head back the same way many other creatures Link had seen that hurl fireballs. Before he could dodge again, the beast let out a steady stream of some dark matter.

If he had not been able to raise his shield in time, only the goddesses would have known what would have happened. When Link realized what was happening, he was finally ale to devise a proper plan. Since his new shield was not only blocking the powerful beam of darkness, but it also caused the shield to shine brightly in the room. The longer the beam hit, the brighter it became. Link took this opportunity to run as close as he could to the creature, still holding up his shield to it. When the light finally touched the eyes of the beast, it shrieked away and climbed back to the ceiling.

Now he finally had something that hurt him. If he could keep his distance, and force the creature into another breath attack, he could force the light produced by the shield into the monstrosity. The dark creature dropped to the ground again, and Link was able to dodge again. He also kept along the walls to ensure a minimum distance from the massive beast. Then it prepared it's breath attack again. Link readied his shield and began rushing towards his enemy. As the creature unleashed this wave of dark energy, it almost forced Link off of his feet. He had to push with all his might to get close enough for the light to touch it this time.

As the light finally engulfed enough of the creature, it collapsed. As it fell, another light from within the creature became exposed. When it was gone, the massive creature was no longer ethereal. With that now done, Link felt no reluctance to approach the creature and hack at it's limbs. He only had about a second before the creature got back up again and was ready to strike again, though still in its physical form. Link would have to be on the offense and defense at the same time in order to properly defeat this creature.

Since he was no longer keeping his distance, the creature felt satisfied with just slicing at the hylian with it's claws and snapping at him with it's jaws. Link tried to obtain a rhythm to these attacks, hoping for an opportunity to strike at the creatures head. Then he found it. The monster lunged it's head forward with it's mouth agape. Link hopped to the side and stuck his sword into the beast's ear. He then used his sword as leverage to allow him onto. Using his free hand, he pulled out a clawshot and fired it onto the top of it's head, latching onto the soft fur. With his clawshot holding him in place, he was able to thrust his sword straight into the creature's head. It reeled back in pain, swinging it's head back and forth, trying to shake the puny man off. He would have succeeded if Link didn't have such a firm grasp on it. He repeatedly stabbed the monster in it's head until it finally fell down with a thump.

Link hopped off, almost too tired to stand. He used his sword to prop him up as he watched the creature suddenly, implode in a tuff of darkness. He was so relieved to see it was all over. Or so he thought. After the cloud of darkness cleared, he saw a humanly figure standing before him. Unlike any normal people, this one was all black, with the same red eyes as the monster. But the thing that actually sent a shiver down his spine was the form that the being took.

It was of him.

It wore the same clothes and held sword and shield in the same manner that Link had done on many adventures before, and now it was in an attacking stance against him. Link was too tired to fight, and worried how he would stand to this entity. He was saved, however, by the creature in the water. It suddenly rose from up and shined a bright light of it's own upon the creature, causing it to fade away instantly.

Link exhaled, not realizing how long he had been holding his breath. This new creature took the form of a lizard, but unlike most lizards, it was made of pure light. Link recalled meeting several similar creatures during the Twilight Incident, and he wondered if this creature was of the same ilk. He soon found his answer, as the earthly creature spoke in a soft, comforting tone.

"Thank you, o Hero of Hyrule, for vanquishing the foul beast of darkness. Long have been the years that I have been tormented by its presence, draining me of my power, and feeding it to its master."

Link sat down, trying to regain his composure. He was incredibly curious about what the spirit had to say. But he had questions of his own that needed answering. "What was that thing, and why did it look like me when I defeated it?"

"Hero of Hyrule, you must understand that this land has been plagued ever since the beginning of time."

"Since the beginning? Does that mean that it was there during the war?"

"It was the reason the humans went to war." Link looked puzzled. It didn't sound like what Mandrakos had described earlier. The spirit did not stop there. "Although the hylians were the chosen people of the goddesses, they were not the only people of the land. It drove the humans to believe that they were inferior.

"These were the first feelings of darkness to ever emerge in this world. And from this sudden darkness, came the abomination. The abomination . . . it fed on these emotions, these dark feelings. It also excreted them back in far worse forms than what they already were. Anger became hate, jealousy became lust, and sadness became sorrow. With this new darkness, the humans were moved to do things that were deplorable and unholy, and it was all because of this creature."

It was finally coming together. His earlier summation was correct, a creature was the cause of it all, but what put it in its current state. "What happened between then and now?"

"After the war, the goddesses banished the creature, knowing that if it was created by dark feelings, then another would simply appear had they destroyed it. Their hope was that none would forget the sins of the humans, and that they would never allow for it to be free.

"But there were those that sought its power and embraced the darkness. These were the wizzrobes, and they made a pact to ensure that the creature would rise again, and bring about a new war that would cause such great pain and loss that it would become strong enough to engulf even the goddesses."

A shudder ran down Link's spine. A power strong enough to challenge even the goddesses? Impossible! The abomination must never begin such a war. "How do I stop it?"

"You have already begun to do so. By freeing me, you have severed a source of its power. By freeing the others, and defeating the wizzrobes, you will prevent its return."

"But why did it take my form?"

The spirit paused a moment before answering. "There is darkness within every creation of the goddesses, no matter how hard one tries to hide it. But for some, their darkness cannot take form within because of their destiny. You and the Princess of Destiny cannot house such darkness on your own. It is forced to latch onto others.

"The reason it looks like you, is because it IS you. It's your darkness, and it's living off of whatever it can find."

The thought of having a evil version of himself became incredibly unnerving. He knew that sooner or later, he would face his darkness again, and he'll have to destroy it. He pondered heavily on these things but had his thoughts interrupted by the spirit. "I know you have much to think about, but you must not lose hope. Hope, and love, will be your only refuge when darkness surrounds you.

"Now go forth, Hero of Hyrule, to the Crystal Fault, to another spirit in torment. Free him as you have me, and crush the abomination's chance of returning. Our guardian spirit will guide you as it has been to assist and remind you of the rising darkness."

"Guardian spirit . . . you mean Harmless?" Link pondered to himself. But the spirit did not answer as it faded back into the water. "I must recover my strength before I can purge the land of it's hatred and sorrow."

Link nodded in understanding before standing up and heading back out. He took quite a lot from that encounter, and he needed to figure everything out in his head. Feelings of sadness becoming sorrow. His own personal darkness. An abomination that would challenge the goddesses. And he thought that his _last_ adventure was hard to swallow. He knew that he was going to face much in this adventure, but nothing could have properly prepared him for this, no matter what Mandrakos may have tried to do.

The door slid open, and Shad and Harmless stood by excited to see their friend still alive. "You're okay! Thank the goddesses! I was really worried in their when I heard the teeth-shattering growl."

Link just slowly walked passed him, heading further up the stairs. Shad wasn't quite done speaking. "What exactly did you find in there, anyway?"

Link turned to look at him but quickly shifted his gaze toward Harmless, whom seemed to have an understanding look in its gaze. He definitely was the guardian spirit. He heard Shad call his name again, and he looked up. Shad was wiping away a large amount of sweat when he asked. "I asked, what did you find down there?"

Link sighed before replying, "Answers. Mostly answers. Pretty much all answered all my questions . . . except one."

"And which one was that?"

He shook his head before turning back up the staircase. "How in the world am I gonna do this?"

Shad eyed him awkwardly, not understanding his meaning. Link took another glance at his colleague. This time he noticed Shad's shaking hands. He tried to hide it by shoving them behind his back, but it was too late. "What happened to you?"

Shad hesitated before responding. "I . . . I don't know what happened. The moment I heard that . . . _thing_ shriek, I was stunned. I just . . . couldn't move. I felt such an excruciating amount of fear that nothing made sense in the world. For a while, I thought I was dead, but when all the noise stopped, it all went away."

Link nodded in understanding. Despite Shad normally having a fearful exposition, the creature within had manipulated his emotions and almost paralyzed him for life. He worried about what would have happened if he had been in the room with him.

Before he could ponder more on this, he felt the cold nose of his beastly companion. It whined at him, while apparently pointing back out. The hylians had allies elsewhere, and they would need to assist them. Link smiled at Harmless, while scratching behind his ears.

"Come on," Link told Shad as he ascended the long, narrow staircase. "Let's get out of here. I bet Auru has implemented his new plan, and I think we should be there to help."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

As Link and Shad returned to the surface, they were surprised to see the undead spirits still there. Their appearance, however, had been restored to that of a normal human. One of them approached Link calmly and spoke to him. "We . . . thank you . . . for your help. Now we can rest in peace . . . for you have returned our spirits to our original state. We will not . . . forget our lesson this time. Please . . . teach those that still live."

As the spirit finished his words of gratitude, he and the rest began to fade. At that same moment, the sun could be seen piercing through the thick forest. Link had not realized how late at night he had been in that forest. He turned to where Shad had been to ask him if he had, only to find that he was already making haste to the tree where he had tied his horse, trying to leave his horrid experience behind. Link chose not to speak on the subject again. He merely followed him over to Epona and pulled out his hollow oocca egg.

"Ready to go?" Shad asked his friend with alacrity. Link took a hold of Harmless and Epona as he cracked the egg in his hand. In the instant that it broke, there was a brief but intense flash of light and the two were whisked away to a new location. The hero took a moment to try and assess his new surroundings.

Approximately thirty feet ahead of him was the edge of a cliff, but in the distance was a castle. He turned around to see a series of tents set up inside of a circle of trees. At the center of them was a table where he could see Auru and Master Gilbert sitting. He scurried over to them with a smile on his face.

"Link," Auru rose to shake the hand of his friends. "It's good to see you again."

Link took the older man's hand with great vigor. Shad approached from behind and examined the table. "Hmm . . . are we laying siege to the Mendille Castle?"

"You are correct." Gilbert said, nodding his head. "In fact, we just sent our first wave of soldiers."

"The guards apparently are not paying attention," The voice of Lord Aric rang as he came up from an unseen location. Unlike Link's previous encounters with him, the human lord was wearing a suit of armor, and had a large sword hanging around his belt. "We were able to sneak a battering ram up with that unit."

"That seems a bit . . . convenient. Did they know you were laying siege?" Link asked.

"We have attempted to remain hidden, which forced us to arrive from the hills. If there were people traveling to the castle from Lady Uliva's keep, there's a chance they could have seen us."

Link scratched his head through his cap, slightly confused at the situation. He inspected the table to see a series of different sketches of the castle's exteriors and interiors. It was a very complete layout. "You must have gotten someone inside to be able to get all these drawings."

"Not exactly," Aric interceded. "I've sent envoys to many of the different houses, seeking out alliances and what-not. I always have someone with an eye for detail to go along and remember what he sees."

"Very . . . uh . . . insightful." Shad indicated, examining the maps. "And thorough. One could easily plan an attack with this information."

"Thank you, my friend." At that moment, the lord procured a telescope and moved to the face of the cliff. With an alert eye, he watched the squad of soldiers batter the front gate of the castle down and move inside; scuttling the ram once its job was done. Aric collapsed his telescope and returned to his allies. A smile creased his face. "We're in."

"Good." Master Gilbert nodded his head, as he always did. "Give the signal for the second and third units to prepare to move."

"Excuse me, Auru?" Link practically ignored Master Gilbert's instructions to his ally, as his interest was perked. "Where are Ashei and Rusl? Are they with any of the units?"

"No, actually. Rusl is watching the battle from a different cliff over there." He pointed north, where another cliff sat incredibly close to the castle. "We'll be sending messages back and forth using Cranis."

"Why not just set up camp over there instead?" Inquired the hero. The older hylian replied. "Because it's too close for a base camp. They could have easily hailed arrows at us from the castle battlements. Besides which, we weren't expecting this to go so smoothly, and we needed to observe the battle from the front, in case there was one."

"And Ashei? Has she has recovered from her wound?"

Auru's face grimaced. "Her wound has healed but she . . . is distressed at the moment. Won't explain it to us, but it most likely has to do with Cranis' last flight to Hyrule."

Link nodded as he sat at the table next to Auru. He wondered if Ashei had written to her father and if his reply was less gracious than she'd hoped. As he continued contemplating, the older hylian finished his explanation. "She's in one of the tents in the back of camp. I'd recommend you leave her alone and I'll see if I can find a spot for you if things heat up below."

Around that same time, a faint clattering sound could be heard in the castle. Apparently there was some resistance once their troops had gotten in, but they could not yet determine how much or how strong it was. They would have to wait for Rusl's report. Shad was the first to hazard a guess. "Perhaps they reached the inner keep already, and the guards finally realized we were here?"

"Maybe." Aric stroked his beard as he pondered the possibility. "Should we send in the others?"

"Not yet." Auru stated, looking up towards the heavens. "I believe our field report has arrived."

The shriek of their hawk, Cranis, rang in the sky as it descended to the elder. Auru held out his arm for the hawk to land. Once it did so, he reached out to grab the note tied to its foot. The look on his face indicated that the report wasn't good.

"They knew we were coming. Their guards are hiding within the town, dressed as commoners. They can ambush our troops at any turn if we send them in blind."

Gilbert nodded again. "So . . . I suppose that we'll need a new strategy to reduce casualties."

"Wait," Link interrupted. "We're not just going to leave those soldiers in there, are we?"

"The troops we send to rescue them will only get ambushed by more guards and be stopped before they even reached them. It would be pointless." The human lord shook his head, showing his distaste to the thought of leaving them, but feeling helpless to do otherwise.

Link copied the lord, shaking his head in kind. Although new to the concept of working with large multitudes of soldiers, he already felt a responsibility to aid them whenever possible. To do anything less made him feel heartless. He took a moment to think before coming up with a plan of his own. "Can you have the archers position themselves on top of the south wall?"

"We could have them climb up with some siege ladders. Do you have something in mind?" Auru asked.

"Yes. Let me go down there. I'll only need a few confident troops to go with me. We'll rush in to save the others, springing every trap they set for us. Once we connect with them, and have most of their guards on us, we move to the south wall, where the archers can support us."

"And ambush them in the process. Clever tactic, my young friend." Aric nodded his head in approval. "Auru, if you can direct your feathered friend to the archers with their new orders . . ."

Auru nodded, as he penned out a new note for the hawk. Aric put a hand on Link's shoulder to get his attention. "I'll lead you down to the troops. You can pick your squad from any of the companies."

Link stood up and followed him down a series of rope ladders along the side of the cliff. At the bottom, he saw the troops waiting for the order to attack. Their numbers were larger than Link had expected, making him wonder briefly if they needed to fight from the shadows. After taking a quick look at the troops, he found them all to be very poised for combat, so he took the first five troops that would follow him out. It took a moment to sort out the winners, but he soon was on his way rushing to the castle as fast as he could on foot.

Thankfully, the castle wasn't too far a distance to run, and they were able to reach the castle gates in good time. At his signal, he and the others cautiously crept inside and made their way towards the inner keep. The village inside the walls reminded him of the Diamond although the streets were now empty, save for a few beggars, and weren't quite so luxurious. The sight of such a grand-looking city being deserted was very unsettling, which made him subconsciously walk even slower. He presently corrected that and moved on.

Following the sounds of battle, the hero and his unit were able to locate the lone unit, fighting for its life. As far as Link could tell, two soldiers were still alive, and he planned to see them remain that way. He charged the attacking guards from behind, and cut two of them cleanly at the waist. Once they had collapsed, another two stormed over to meet their new opponent. One raised his sword in an attempt to cut at him vertically, while the other on his right approached in a defensive-counter stance, waiting for Link to attack. The hylian chose to respond by bashing into the first one with his new Mirror Shield, and deflect the second's sword with his own. The first one fell to the ground stunned, while the other attempted to raise his defense again. Link halted his efforts with a powerful kick to the knee, dropping him as well.

Link scramble to check on the last two soldiers of the raiding unit while his squad finished up the guards for him. "Are you two alright?"

"We should be now, sir. We had no idea they'd be waiting for us like they did. Shall we keep going?"

"Not yet. I want us to round up as many of these ambushes as we can. We'll lead them to the south wall, where the archers will be waiting."

"Do you think we'll be able to hold them off?"

"We can't think otherwise. We _must_ draw them out and have them follow us." Link spoke with determination. The others took to his leadership instantly, and fell in behind him. As he had stated, it was time to implement the second phase of his plan. He began by marching through the rest of the town, hoping to find another ambush ready to sprout. It took a minute or so, but he was rewarded with five guards jumping out from a tavern. Link's troops charged them, but Link halted and began to examine the surrounding buildings. Five guards thinking they could take on eight soldiers didn't sound right to him, which made him weary of a second ambush waiting to trap them. As his fellow troops met the guards at the front of the tavern, he saw it.

"Watch that other door!" He shouted while pointing at a building on the opposite side of the street where the tavern stood. Sure enough, another six guards popped out from it and attempted to pincer his troops. He was a little late to save them from getting caught in the middle, but being made aware of their presence allowed for them prepare for the dual attack. Link came to the decision that the best thing to do was to draw the guards' attention towards himself. He accomplished this by pulling out a bomb from his bag, lighting it and tossing it just behind the six guards. He then yelled to his troops. "Move out of the way or take cover!"

They obeyed as best as they could, with three just squeezing out of the pincer while the other four dropped to the ground and held their shields up to protect themselves. The guards turned to see the bomb behind them and attempted to run for cover, but were too late. Three of them were killed by the force of the blast, while another two were injured. Thankfully only one of his own troops took minor shrapnel from his weapon, which was more than he could have hoped for. He prepared to light another bomb when the remaining guards turned to face him. Seeing that he posed the greater threat, they charged at him at full speed. Link took the opportunity to run while shouting. "Retreat!"

His troops followed suit and began to sprint as fast as they could to the south wall while his one wounded soldier was left to recover, since all the guards went after Link. As the invaders continued to run, they stepped into another ambush of eight guards hiding in a prestigious-looking shop. Link was able to pass them by hurling a bomb in their direction. They all went for cover when their allies exclaimed that it would explode, unaware that Link didn't even light it. When they realized that they'd been duped, they quickly rushed after them with their fellow guards.

Within a short amount of time, the trespassers reached the wall. At Link's command, they all turned around and formed a defensive line. The guards, seeing their prey backed against a wall, unwittingly fell into an ambush of their own. At the order to fire, a dozen or so archers appeared above and sent a storm of arrows at the guards. They went down with little resistance.

With the enemy resistance destroyed, the archers dropped down to meet with Link's unit. "We've been ordered to follow your lead once this plan of yours was accomplished. Are we to go to the inner keep now?"

"Yes, but we'll still need to be cautious. I only caught a glimpse of the maps made at camp."

"No problem." The lead archer stated, patting Link's shoulder. "I memorized them for this attack. I'll fill you in on the way."

It took several minutes to reach the door to the inner keep, which was unsurprisingly left open. It was very likely another ambush awaited them, especially since the inside was designed to allow for several vantage points for archers to fire. There was, however, a loophole that Link was able to find. At the corner of the keep, several feet above ground was a window. Although Link wished that Midna was still around at the moment to magically hold all his treasures, specifically his clawshots, he was able to make do with a grappling hook given to him by an archer. He was pretty skilled with a lasso when he worked on a ranch, so he was able to manipulate the hook to go where he desired and pull himself up to the window.

He took a quick look to see where the guards had positioned themselves, and began planning in his head how to counter their attack. When he felt of himself, he unhooked the grapple and fell back down, landing on his feet. He then proceeded to explain the plan to the others.

"There are four spearmen forming a defensive line between those two curved staircases that lead to the upper floor. From there, three stand with their bows aimed right at the doors. Finally, a swordsman on the outside of each staircase waiting to leap. I want my troops to charge in first with shields raised and the archers crouched down behind them. Once their archers fire their first volley, ours will pop up and counter with one of their own. Then we'll press forward against their spearmen while I'll deal with their swordsmen."

His men nodded and prepared for the attack. Two of his men got on each side of the double door and waited for the command to push it open. With a swing of his sword, the word was given. The doors flew open and a wall of shields stepped through. A set of arrows attempted to penetrate it, but had little effect. Just as planned, Link's archers took their cue and fired back, cutting down their adversaries quickly. The spearmen, noticing their trap had failed, decided to charge at the soldiers in an attempt to push them back out. They were too late, as the rest of the force poured into the room and surrounded the spearmen.

Link had taken the opportunity to attack the swordsmen, rushing into one and catching his blade with his own. He closed the gap between them so that he could get a hold of him. He then proceeded to swing him towards the other swordsmen, who had begun to charge him. The two slammed into each other, stunning them momentarily. Link wasted no time in finishing them off before they could recover.

With entryway into the inner keep clear, Rusl was bound to send word back to Auru to send the rest of the army inside. Link decided it was best to wait for them to ensure that it stayed that way. That didn't stop him from taking a look up the stairs to see where exactly they led. Behind the dual stairs was another door. Since there was another double door on the first floor, he presumed that they both may lead into the main hall and throne room. He didn't want to chance opening it up yet.

After returning to the stairs, he remained in place until the reinforcements arrived. It took a couple minutes for them to reach, but one of the archers at the entrance saw the first signs of them and alerted Link to their presence. The hylian scurried down to meet them. At the front of the brigade was Trejon, the man at the cliff from the mountains.

"I'm glad to see your little ploy worked, my friend." Link's ears perked when Trejon spoke those last two words. "So, I've brought a sizable number of troops with me. Are we ready to finish this?"

Link merely nodded, and pointed down the hall with his sword. Trejon took the lead, his troops following him closely. Link didn't have time to count, but it looked to be that he had fifty or so men. Link decided that his troops would take to the door on the second floor since his ally was already homing in on the double door on the first floor.

As Link ascended the stairs again, he could hear the doors below being bashed down, and the war cries of his allies. He picked up his pace a little faster, hoping to aid them as quickly as he could. With one swift kick, the door blocking him was forced open and he rushed in. As he passed through, he could see the battle going on below, but what caught his attention were the guards around the walkway with bows, shooting down onto the attackers. Link motioned for his men to attack and they all scattered around the railing, cutting down as many archers as they could.

Once the railing was cleared, Link started to watch the clash, searching for a target that was proving to be a greater match than any of the others could handle. As far as he could tell, the battle was going well. Then he noticed a hidden door, behind the throne. A figure had just sneaked back into it, avoiding the fighting in the room. Link leaped down to the floor and landed in a roll. After battering aside a guard, he ran after the mystery man.

It was a hidden passageway. Link followed the trail for about a minute before reaching the intended room. The door was shut, and he could hear the sound of two people arguing. Staying as quiet as possible, he listened intently to the discussion. The first one voice spoke erratically. "You said the rebels would never attack us!"

"Obviously there are more than rebels fighting here." The second man spoke in almost a monotone. "Did your troops notice any with pointed ears?"

"Oh, don't get me started on the _hylians_ again. You've been saying they'd attack ever since my grandfather's time! These are rebels, and they're mad, and you said they'd never attack us!"

"Only if you were to listen to my instructions, and you've chosen to ignore me for quite some time. You've bled the people dry instead of on the verge of drought as I had told you."

"As if that would have made a difference!" As near as Link could figure it, the erratic man was Lord Mendille and the other must have been the wizzrobe. That meant he _needed_ to confront them and to do it soon. Since they didn't seem to be saying else of interest, he figured it was as good a time as any.

The hylian kicked the door down and charged in with sword and shield raised. Lord Mendille was shocked, seeing who had arrived. "By the emperor! They _are_ after us!"

The lord of the great castle seemed to have fainted after that. That left Link to deal with the real threat. It was his first time looking at a wizzrobe, and he was startled by their appearance. Behind the grand cloak that covered the majority of its body, he saw that it was a greatly disfigured human. It resembled that of the spirits in the graveyard, but he was not ethereal.

"I know not why you are _really_ here," the wizzrobe spoke in its monotone voice. "But thanks to your presence, we will be able to move our plans forward, once I deal with you."

Link opted to charge at the wizzrobe instead of responding. He swung his blade through him, but found that it did not connect. For a moment, he wondered if the monstrosity _was_ a visage, but then saw that he had merely teleported behind him. Seeing that he was preparing to cast some sort of spell, Link turned as fast as he could, raising his shield to defend himself. The wizzrobe spoke a single word while pointing his wand at Link, unleashing a torrent of fire at him. The blast connected with the shield only to deflected directly back at the wizzrobe. The effect was so unexpected, that the wizzrobe had no time to react. He was consumed by his own attack and dissipated into the air.

Link breathed a sigh of relief. After his encounter last night, and the battle he'd just gone through, he felt rather lucky to find this anticlimactic. For once, he could rest . . . once he took care of Lord Mendille. The man was still passed out on the floor. He picked him up as best as he could and searched for the best way to get him out. There was another set of stairs in the room, spiraling upwards for a long distance. Hopefully, the passageway would take him out of the battle.

As he carried the man on his back, he found himself yawning. It had been a _really_ long day for him.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

It turned out that the stairs led to one of the empty castle towers. Link put the lord down when he reached the top, finding the long haul up very tiring. Gazing back in the direction of the city, he spotted a vast number of troops marching into the inner keep. It seemed that the battle was going to end very soon. He let a smile spread across his face. He was pleased to know that he was able to help bring this about with few losses.

Lord Mendille began to groan, waking from his sudden shock. Link chose to bind the noble's hands and feet with his fancy sash. After also briefly checking for hidden weapons, he picked him back up on his back and commenced walking again; searching for a way back down into the city.

"W-what is going on?" The stirring lord spoke. "Unhand me, you filthy long-eared freak!"

Link just ignored the mad man's ranting. He was starting to get used to the blabbering of the more foolish humans. Still, it never ceased to amaze him how spiteful some of these people could be. Silently he prayed to the goddesses that they would all eventually see the error of their ways and that they may become friends again. Even if it took some time to do, he still had faith that the goddesses would hear him.

"And another thing y-! Ow!" The noble's raving was abruptly halted when Link hopped down the last couple of steps on of the stairs he found near that led back into the city. "You'll pay for every injury you've inflicted upon me! Then you'll receive a branding for each of my guards that was slain!"

"I don't believe you are in any position to make such a call." The calm, authoritative voice of Lord Aric came from a street to Link's left. He approached his hylian friend with great delight. "Link! I see you captured the tyrant. Mayhap you've seen where the wizzrobe has gone?"

"He . . . _It_ is dead. Its magic backfired when it hit my shield?" He put Lord Mendille down and two of Aric's guards took him away, gagging his grumblings along the path. Aric's interest was sparked by Link's comment. "Your shield? May I see it briefly?"

Link nodded as he pulled out for him to see. Aric gazed into the face of the shield, watching his reflection. It was very odd, Link thought, how he stared into it, not letting his eyes leave. After only a couple of seconds, Aric began to quiver and his eyes widened. The hylian didn't have a chance to see what the human saw before his shield was handed back to him with haste. Once the noble had recovered, he explained himself. "That most definitely is the _real_ Mirror Shield of legend."

"Oh? How is it legendary, and what did you see when you stared into it?"

Aric almost spoke immediately, but paused. After a brief silence, he answered. "I think you can already guess _why_ it is legendary. As for what I saw . . . you'll learn later if things do not go well with the people."

"The people?" Link fell into step next to Aric as the gradually advanced to the inner keep. Aric responded, "Yes, the people of this town. Despite their already dislike of their lord, they will need some convincing to join our cause . . . and to accept hylians."

At the double door of the keep, Master Gilbert and Auru stood waiting for their companions to return. Auru gave a mild applause directed towards Link for his valiant efforts while Master Gilbert bobbed his head some more before stating, "Give the word when you wish to speak to the townsmen."

"I'm ready now. Have the band sound the trumpets."

At his word, the bleating of horns was heard throughout the city. A crowd slowly began to form in front of the keep. Link and Auru retreated within the walls to avoid any confrontation, and would listen from just behind the double doors. Link could hear the commotion that this was causing, and was able to discern that the majority of the people were neither scared nor happy; merely curious. Once the crowd was of a decent size, Aric began his speech with a strong and even tone.

"Citizens, do not be alarmed by our presence here! We have no desire to harm you! It was our desire to liberate you from the oppressive ruler that was Lord Juro Mendille!" The murmurings of the crowd grew louder at his statement. Aric continued on. "My comrades and I have been aware of the plight that he has been to you. It is for this reason that we chose to come here first."

"Are you the renegades?" A female voice from the crowd cried out. Aric answered her plainly. "We are, mostly. Some of us merely wish to see the land reformed under a new law. It is our desire to restore this land to its former glory; before the time of the emperor and his oppression."

"Liar!" A dissenter spoke up, unafraid of any consequences. "You're here to pillage and plunder!"

"If we truly were here to 'pillage and plunder', as you say, why would I be speaking to you? Besides which, I am not just a rebel. I am Lord Aric Maukro. My fields are rich, and my people are happy. They did not get to be that way by pillaging and plundering others, but by hard work and dedication; _my_ dedication to the people. I do not need your taxes, nor do I want them. I have ordered my men to leave your treasury alone until you all were ready to take back what is yours. That is my promise to you."

A mild applause broke out, but not everyone was convinced. "What do you want from us in return?"

"What do I want in return? I do not _expect_ anything for this action. The treasury is yours regardless of my request. What I _ask_ of you is merely this: that those of you who are willing and able to fight against our malicious ruler would join us as we march against him."

The murmuring returned at a hushed volume. The people must have really been considering the request. Aric decided to elaborate before they committed one way or the other. "Our ruler plans to send us all off into a false war. A war against our northern neighbors that will only end in death and destruction on _both_ sides. To allow this charade to continue will only invite the divine to do far worse than the simple curse that they have placed upon us all."

"To hell with the long-ears! They'd rip us apart in a second if they could!" A different protestor raised his voice to near malevolent levels. The noble was quick to retort. "They would not, and _have_ not! They wish to live in harmony with us, but we have refused them for far too long. It is time we opened up our borders with peaceful intentions, not with war. See for yourselves!"

Lord Aric beckoned his hylian allies to present themselves. Link was hesitant, seeing that the reaction already wasn't going well. He didn't want the renegades to lose all their support just because of them. Still, Aric seemed confident that he would gain their support either way. "Gaze upon them now! They helped free you from your lord, and they stand before you in the name of friendship!"

The result was far less than ideal. The crowd began to boo with great zeal. Many racial slurs were hurled at Link and Auru, but they stood strong against them, waiting for Aric to calm them down. "You are _all_ living in the past! You still blame them for what was justly done to us! Have you all forgotten that it was _us_ that slaughtered them in the name of jealousy and greed?"

"To hell with the long-ears!" The jeers did not die down, and the multitude looked almost ready to charge the hylians. Aric stepped back to speak to Link briefly. "Give me your shield."

Link complied as he handed him the Mirror Shield. Aric took it directly and returned to the forefront. "Witness the curse for the sin that we are _all_ guilty of!"

Aric shone the shield in front of himself for all to see. The crowd immediately hushed its boos and instantly began to scream in horror. Link could only hardly fathom what it was that they all saw in the mirror, but whatever it was, it must have been the most dreadful thing in all the world. The look on everyone's faces had turned pale quickly. He quietly thanked the goddesses that he did not have to see it.

"You know this shield from the stories of old! This is the Mirror Shield, and it shows what truly lies within ourselves! The goddesses gave it to us as a reminder, but we could not bare to remember, so we disposed of it and pretended to forget all about it! In the meantime, we stowed in our anger and learned nothing! We refused to see the simple truth: that every time that we shun our brothers, we are blameworthy!"

The mass now cringed as Aric spoke. Gone was any attempt to remain calm and unflustered. He was almost enraged himself with his people. Finally, he put the shield down, allowing the people to cease their cries. When the mob had hushed down, he spoke again. "This curse was _laid_ upon us for the merciless way we fought the hylians. But this curse is not _forced_ upon us! As I will show you all today, it _can_ be removed, if you merely give up your unfounded hatred for them."

He turned to face Link and Auru and proceeded to hold up the shield once more. This time, he shone it on himself, but allowed the audience to see his reflection. "I, Aric Maukro, having realized what hatred my kind has brought upon you, the hylians, ask for your forgiveness. Even if you decline to give it, I will let my anger go."

Link looked to Auru, who looked back at him. Did Aric sincerely have some reserved hatred for hylians, or was he being figurative? Link declined to think more of it as he replied to Aric's request. "You may have it."

At that, the face of the shield shimmered brightly for a second before returning to normal. The audience were astonished with whatever they saw; gaping widely and making sounds of awe. As Aric turned back to face them, he let his voice return in a very soft, comforting tone. "You saw that my reflection was cleansed. This is undeniable proof that the goddesses have not forsaken us. It was us who had forsaken them. All we ever had to do was accept them for who they are and beg pardons."

He took several steps into the crowd. "Who here will do this?"

At first, none spoke, but once the first spark was made, the rest was ignited. The entire audience came forward asking for the hylians to exonerate them. Link couldn't help but let a smile come across his face as the people gave up their hate. He felt like a new day was dawning and that the world was changing with it. He had felt no ill towards any of those that had moments ago slandered his entire race.

Eventually the crowds died down, heading either to the treasury or to speak to Aric personally about serving the army. Link yawned again, reminding himself that he had not slept for some time. He pulled Auru aside to discuss this. "Is there somewhere I can rest? I'm particularly tired right now."

"Oh? You're not going to stay up for the festivities?" Auru asked inquiringly to which Link replied, "I'm afraid not."

Auru directed him to the quartermaster who was currently assigning rooms for the troops. Link thanked him and headed off to find him. The quartermaster was quite generous to the hylians, having given each one a separate room. After getting some directions, he headed up to find them. His room turned out to be on the western side with the window looking out upon the front of the city. He found himself staring at the city below, watching the people scurry about in all sorts of ways. It reminded him of the brief time he lived in Hyrule Castle while helping restore the town.

Before Link could begin to relieve himself of his wares, he heard the sound of his door opening. He turned about to see Ashei standing there. As soon as their eyes met, she hid her face. Link couldn't tell if it was embarrassment or something else that made her do so.

"Sorry," Her voice cracked slightly, and was uneven. "I thought this was my room."

"That's okay. I believe yours is the next one down." Ashei began to walk out, but Link tried to stop her. "Ashei, I thought you might have received word fr-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Now Link couldn't tell if it was anger or sadness in her voice. He tried to press a little more. "You know you can talk to me abou-"

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" She faced him briefly before walking out and slamming the door behind her. Link thought he caught a glimpse at her eyes. They were red and puffy. Had she been crying? He had never seen her cry before. Whatever happened to her really was affecting her. Link thought about what it must have been as he undressed and crawled into bed. He didn't have much time to think about it as he immediately fell asleep once he closed his eyes.

* * *

The sound of an explosion woke him with a jump. I startled him so much that he fell out of his bed. Once he recovered, Link rushed to the window to see what was going on. To his pleasure, the celebration below had not ceased. When he heard the noise again, he was able to discern it more appropriately. In the cliffs where the base camp had been, there were fireworks being set off.

Link sighed in relief, realizing that his concern was unfounded. Then he realized that he wasn't going to be able to sleep with all the noise; that made him groan. He lay back down on his bed, hoping to prove himself wrong, but it was to no avail. He slept too well during the day, so he wasn't tired enough to collapse as he had before. After rummaging through a few ideas in his head, he concluded that he should do some quick combat drills.

His sword was only inches from the head of his bed, and the Mirror Shield was on the ground beside it. Once he had them both in his hands, he began his exercises. First were a few slash and stab combos. Then he switched to dodging maneuvers. He stopped those once he realized that there was simply too much furniture in the way. After rubbing the newly acquired bump on his head, he settled for perfecting his 'Mortal Draw'. Although difficult to perform, he found the attack to be a great way to eliminate certain opponents without drawing out the fight. It had saved him quite a bit of trouble when fighting some of Ganondorf's greater monsters.

Link sheathed his sword and placed the scabbard on his back. Normally, he'd have one hand at the hilt when he performed this strike, but he was going to challenge himself by keeping it at his side before pulling it out. He took several deep breathes, twitched his fingers, and prepared himself for the draw. Then he heard a knock at his door, and he lost his concentration.

Not wanting to frighten whoever it was, Link removed his weapons before heading to the door. To his surprise standing at the door was Ashei. She was wearing a long, faded-green nightgown, leaving Link to presume that she was sleeping, and must have been woken by the fireworks as well. "Ashei, are you ok-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Ashei stepped inside the room and wrapped her arms around him. She leaned her head into his shoulder, and Link could feel her tears begin to run down his arm. He felt awkward in this position, so he hugged her back, hoping that it would comfort her. After waiting for a short time, she spoke at last. "He's dead, Link. He died and . . . and I never had a chance to tell him that I still loved him."

Now it was beginning to make sense. "You mean he didn't receive your letter?"

"He passed away the day before it arrived. Tiro the manservant had to write back and tell me." She began to weep more openly as her cries became audible. Link, taking in the intimacy of her suffering, maneuvered around her so that he could close the door behind her while still holding onto her. He tried to think of something that would alleviate her pain, but nothing could come to mind, and with the added knowledge of the monstrosity that no doubt was feeding on her feelings, he needed to do something quick.

Link slowly caressed her, hoping that she did not take it the wrong way. She didn't seem to mind it; if anything, she encouraged it. He tried to speak, but no words formed in his mouth. He simply stood there for a couple minutes and let her pour out her emotions. He wasn't sure if it was working, but he supposed it wasn't hurting.

Eventually, he thought of something. "I'm sorry. I truly am."

Ashei stifled a sob so that she could answer back. "I know. It's just that . . . that . . . he never had a chance. The last thing he said to me . . . can't escape my mind."

"What did he say?" Link asked, not realizing that he was slowly rocking her back and forth. "He said 'No daughter of mine would walk out like this.'"

That was more than Link had expected. He knew the situation between Ashei and her father had been difficult, but he had not realized the severity of their separation. He pondered as she continued. "If only I'd known this would have happened. If only I . . . I'd written _sooner_. If only I . . ."

"Whoa! Slow down." Link interrupted. "Stop blaming yourself."

"Why shouldn't I? I walked out on him when he needed me the most!"

"And then you would have walked out on us when we needed you, and you never would have realized that until it was too late." He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "You can't change the past, but know that if the situation was different, he'd be _very_ proud of you right now."

Ashei found herself regaining control. Her sobs started to cease, allowing her to speak more clearly. "You know you really are a good friend, yeah?"

"I try to be." Ashei finally let go of Link, allowing him to start heading back to his bed. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Can I . . ." Her words stopped Link dead in his tracks. "Stay here with you? I could really use some . . ."

She couldn't force herself to finish the sentence, but Link understood. He almost felt rude for not offering it himself. "Of course."

Ashei crawled into the bed after Link, wrapped her arms around him again and closed her eyes. Link put a single arm around her as well. He felt a bit uneasy, as he had never slept in the same bed with another woman save for Ilia, but he believed that this was the right thing to do. Ashei needed the company of a friend, even if it meant staying close to her. Hopefully, she would be feeling better in the morning.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

It was a nightmare.

He fought a score of opponents. He slashed and stabbed through them all and ascended the tower in the back. Up the stairs he'd run, but they'd never end. He'd turn around and see that he was still at the bottom, however he was determined to reach the top because he knew she was there. He just needed to believe in himself and everything would turn out okay.

Finally, he'd reach the top, except the door would not open. He'd bash the door as hard as he could; no good. It would take multiple tries before it would finally bust open, and inside was his love. She was curled up in a dark corner, looking away. When he approached her, she finally looked to him. Her face had been beaten and bruised to the point where she looked blue. It was a gloomy sight.

"Why couldn't you save me?" She cried and she shriveled further into the corner. "Why couldn't you stop them from abusing me?"

He tried to speak, but couldn't. His dreams never let him speak. He just wanted to tell her how sorry he was and how he was going to take care of her. Instead, he was forced to listen to her cry, and to watch her body slowly become more beaten and more bruised than before. Then she began to decompose; her skin falling off her. He tried to close his eyes, but he still saw it. He turned around, but she was still there. He tried to scream, but heard nothing. When would this madness end?

As if his silent prayers were answered, a loud thumping against his door abruptly woke him. Link brusquely rose from his bed, trying to regain his bearings. He remembered seizing the castle, and sleeping in a large, soft bed. He then remembered Ashei, and twisted his head to his side. She was already gone, and the rapping on the door returned. At least any embarrassment would be avoided, as Link slipped out of bed and approached the door.

"I'm coming." He replied to his guest, halting the loud knocking. The person spoke back. "Link? It sounded like you were fighting in there. You okay?"

It was Rusl, and Link forced a smile as he opened the door. "I'm . . . okay. Just a _really_ horrid dream."

The human gave him a candid look. "Was it about Ilia?"

Link couldn't deny it. "You know me way too well."

"That's not a bad thing." Rusl patted him on the shoulder, then remembered why he woke him. "Auru is considering moving to the next castle. They're wondering if you'll be joining them for the next march?"

"So soon?" Link considered the thought, but then he recalled the spirit at the graveyard. His duty laid elsewhere. "I can't. I'll be leaving soon as well."

"It's okay. They're not leaving that soon. Why don't you just get dressed and meet them for breakfast? I'll head back down and tell them to expect you."

"I'd appreciate that." Link's smile turned genuine as he shut the door. As he turned back around, he felt the weight of Ilia's fate on his shoulders again. The abomination's reach was still strong, and he knew that he couldn't allow himself to fall into a slump. Ilia was going to be okay. Mandrakos promised him he'd find her and tell him. He just had to hold out until that happened, and just believe.

With that in mind, he returned to work getting ready for the day. His outer garments were strewn around the bed. As he picked them up, he spotted something that wasn't his. Next to one of the pillows was a hairpin. Must have been Ashei's. He pocketed it and kept moving.

His thoughts then began to drift back to her. Link wondered where she was, and if she was still mourning. He hoped that she had at least regained control of herself, and would be able to move on. Once he finished getting dressed, he decided to check on her. The door to Ashei's room was open, so he felt no shame walking in. He still tapped on the door frame as he did so, just to let her know he was walking in. To his disappointment, she was not inside. Assuming she was already down with the others, Link wasted no time descending the stairs to the dining room.

The room was decorated with armor, weapons and a coat of arms above the head of the long table. Lord Aric was sitting there with Auru and Gilbert at his sides. Rusl, Shad and Ashei all sat further down, waiting patiently for their friend to arrive. Link slowly approached and made a courtesy bow towards Aric as he began to sit down across from Ashei. She looked rather ordinary at the moment, with no indication whether she was happy or sad.

"It's good to see you up, my friend." Aric greeted him. He clapped his hands together and a number of food-bearers came out of the kitchen, presenting a plate to each of the seated members. "I believe I can speak for the rest of the army that we truly value your hard work."

"Thank you, my lord." Link nodded in his direction before digging into his plate. He'd been presented with eggs and bacon, along with a glass of milk. As he ate, Lord Aric spoke again. "I don't believe we could have been as successful winning over the people without the shield. If you're planning to part with us as Rusl claimed, would you be willing to part with the shield?"

Link thought hard about it. Normally, every new treasure he's acquired, he's found a need to use it in his own travels. To give it away may be an unwise decision, but he couldn't settle on a decision. "I'm . . . not sure I can. I have reason to believe that I'll need to continue using it."

"Perhaps I can ascertain that. Where are you heading next?"

"The Crystal Faults. That _is_ a place here, right?"

"It is. Rather close to my own land too." Aric took another bite of his eggs before continuing. "It used to be used to mine for precious gems, but it has been deemed too dangerous. There's still a settlement just outside, and a few miners still trying to strike rich. Why would you go there?"

"There's a spirit trapped there." Link spoke calmly, but his response elicited a gasp from the silidians at the table. Gilbert found the notion intriguing. "You know where the spirits are?"

"Not exactly. The one I met in the graveyard told me it was there. That's where I found the Mirror Shield in the first place."

"Extraordinary." Gilbert said to himself. "Extraordinary."

"Hmph." Aric uttered. "If you found it looking for one spirit, I can see you needing it in the faults. Very well, I'll not ask you to give it up. It seems we'll be taking the volunteers from here instead to House Sekun."

"Is that our next target?" Rusl inquired the lord, to which he replied. "Yes. We expect it to be an even shorter battle than this one."

"Oh?" Link's interest was perked. "What do you have planned?"

"At this very moment," Auru explained. "Korgmaw and his bulblins are making trouble outside his castle. We'll be heading over using Mendille colors, and scatter the bulblins. They'll gladly allow us into their castle, and from there we'll cut down their warriors."

"Isn't that a bit . . . devious?" Asked a stuffed Shad. Gilbert responded quickly. "It is, but Sekun is actually quite notorious for using such actions himself. He's held a hand out in friendship while hiding a dagger in his other. We thought it might do him good to fall prey to his own designs for once. We don't plan to use this ploy against the other houses."

"I don't know, I'm still a bit reserved on the plan," Link critiqued. "But since I'm not going, I suppose it matters little."

"Be at ease, Link." Aric decreed. "We are not butchers as they. The design of the plan is used merely to allow us into the walls. They will merely be surprised by our true presence."

Link nodded while taking another bite of his food. He was close to finishing when he made a realization. "Before I go I need to ask: How do I get to the Crystal Faults?"

"That won't be hard." Aric smiled. "Take the southwest road through the lower portion of the SlumberingMountains. Pass through Craterville and you'll eventually reach my keep again. It's the same road we took to meet the Revival Riders before we broke off the road, so you'll recognize it. From there you'll head straight west and reach the village of Broadstead**.** That's at the top of the Crystal Faults."

"Thank you." Link turned to Shad. "Are you interested in joining me again?"

"Are you kidding?" Shad chortled. "Of course I'm _interested_, but I fear that I'd cause more trouble than good as I proved last time."

"I'll go with you, Link." Ashei piped up for the first time in the conversation. "Just give me your book on the dead language in case we need it."

"Well, okay. But you better not lose it, Ashei."

"Oh, _I'm_ the one who losses things, yeah?" She retorted in an obvious joking manner. That alleviated any worries Link had that she was still brooding. Shad didn't bother responding. He was still a bit shaken up by his experience at the graveyard. Link understood that he'd be a bit reluctant to go along.

"If that is all," Lord Aric stood up from the table, "Then I'll be seeing to the movement. Please take your time eating if you're not finished. And Link, may your journey be safe."

Link smiled and nodded as the lord walked off. The others were apparently done as well, leaving on their own as well. Eventually Link and Ashei were the only ones left. He decided to head back up to his room to gather his belongings, and the woman hurried after him.

"Link," She called out to him. "I just wanted to let you know that . . . I really appreciated what you did for me last night."

"I know, but you do know that we-"

"It was nothing." Ashei defended herself, knowing what Link was thinking. "You just comforted me. That was all."

The rest of their walk was in silence until they reached the top. Before they could split up to their individual rooms, Link remembered the hairpin. He pulled it out of his pocket and showed it to Ashei. "I trust this is yours?"

"By the goddesses!" Ashei cried. "I'd been looking all over for this. Thank you for returning it."

"It's okay. I didn't even know you wore those."

"Only at night. Keeps me from looking like a wild mare in the mornings."

"And that's a bad thing? Be glad Epona wasn't here to hear that." Link teased.

"You know what I mean." Ashei rolled her eyes, but he still caught the smile on her face. "Thanks again. I'll meet you down by the stables whenever you're ready to go."

She closed the door to her room, leaving the hero in the hall by himself. As he opened the door to his own room, he felt a chill that he wasn't expecting. It felt so out of place, that he wondered if it wasn't something nefarious. He reached for his sword and shield, waiting for something to jump at him. Nothing happened.

When he calmed down, lowered his weapons and got packing again, but that chill stayed with him the entire time he packed. He knew someone was watching him, but he couldn't do anything about it. The best thing to do now was to leave as soon as possible.

* * *

They'd been on the trail for about three hours before the boredom hit, as it often would. The two hylians had been riding at the gallop for the majority of that time. Link knew Epona was strong enough to keep riding hard, but he wasn't sure if Mytyr was as capable, and Harmless showed no signs of slowing whatsoever. His mind was made up, and he held a hand up so that Ashei knew he was slowing down.

"So _now_ you're bored?" Ashei grumbled. "Hit me almost an hour ago."

"Well next time, you can lead." Harmless chimed in with a bark as well, panting heartily, although it didn't look tired. Link laughed at the scene, but turned back to Ashei. "You seem to have recovered quickly from hearing of your f-"

"Et-et-et! I spent three days straight doing nothing but grieving until you came back. When we get back to Hyrule, I'll pay him the proper respects. Right now, I need to focus on the now. Like what you said, yeah?" Link smiled, and turned back to the front. Ashei wasn't finished. "I wish there were some monsters to fight right now. Feels like forever since I've had a chance to workout some."

"With all the time we've got on the road, I'm sure you'll have your chance. You can take the ones I'd normally take too."

"Not interested?" Ashei inquired. "Fine by me. You're probably still thinking about where Ilia is."

"What makes you say that?"

"You mean aside from the fact that you _haven't _been bored for the last several hours? You clearly had something on your mind . . . and I took a wild guess." The hero chuckled over that, but returned to his somber tone instantly after. Ashei caught the slip. "Something happen that I didn't hear about?"

Link knew not to hide it. "I had another dream of her. It was . . . _unsettling_ to say the least."

"I know the feeling, yeah? I dreamt about my dad the first night I heard the news."

"Nothing happened last night to trigger them. I think it was the abomination causing it."

"The what? Abomination?" The look on Ashei's face was full of confusion and disbelief.

"Didn't I tell you? That our feelings are being manipulated by some abomination. It caused a war between us and the humans ages ago, and it's trying to do so again."

"I remember you having a hunch about that, but not a whole conspiracy theory."

"I'm not joking around about this. Both Mandrakos _and_ the spirit in the graveyard told me about it, and the best way to fight it is to help each other when we're in our ruts."

Ashei pondered his words. They made sense to her, but they still sounded rather outlandish. "I'm hesitant to believe, but I suppose you _wouldn't_ joke about something like this. In which case, I guess this is where I tell you to 'just remember the good things about her,' yeah?"

"She's not _dead_ yet, I hope, but yes. That's about right." Link laughed as he thought back to all the good times he had with her. "Best thing about her was just the experience. Being around her and enjoying life was all it took to make me happy."

"So she had no personality." Ashei stated. Link glared at her, but knew she was only kidding. "Okay, what 'experience' do you remember best?"

"Probably the first time we made love in the barn wh-"

"Woah! That's all I need to know." She shook her head, but was grinning the entire time. "I got the picture _too_ clearly."

"Am I to understand that you've yet t-"

"Yes! I have not . . . and don't you dare tell Shad."

"Why? You think he has?" She held a warning finger at him, so he shut up for a short while. After only waiting about a minute, he brought it up again. "What about the time you fell in love?"

"I thought we were done talking."

Link just shrugged his shoulders. "I'm bored, as you've astutely noticed already."

The woman rolled her eyes, but inclined an answer. "The reason why we didn't was because Nolan and I were only _twelve_, and it only lasted a winter."

"Oh . . ." Link felt the red flush to his cheeks. "Now I feel like a fool for asking."

"Well, you never know until you ask." Having recalled her own thoughts of love, Ashei found herself reminiscing as well. "It was freezing up north, so my dad and I went back down to Castle Town for the season. I ran into Nolan while playing in the streets. Just so happened we both had toy swords, so we fought each other and I won. He was actually impressed, very much unlike Janim, if you remember him."

"I do."

"Anyway, Nolan showed me all around town and we had a blast. He presented me to his other friends. Dad didn't mind at the time, so I spent all my spare time with him. We had a lot of fun, and when we'd play 'pretend,' he never made me do anything I thought was too 'girly.'" She stifled a laugh at the thought. "I was really tomboyish at the time, but that never stopped me from really liking him. By the second week I'd told him so, and he said that he felt the same. So we'd sometimes get away from the other kids, and we'd have our own little dates."

"But . . ." Link knew that she was drawing to a low conclusion.

"_But_ once my dad found out I was having feelings for him, he stopped me from ever seeing him again."

"And why did he do that?"

"He never explained it, but it most likely had to do with him still trying to get me to carry his name." Link nodded in understanding as she finished her tale. "I found out later that Nolan got married quite early, and I wished him well."

"So you got over him pretty quick?"

"It took me a little while, but yeah. I was just a kid, anyway. So I don't thi-" She stopped suddenly when her eyes drifted to the distant sunset. Link followed suit to see what caught her attention. In the distance was a group of those monsters known as goriyas. A smile streaked Ashei's face as she turned back to Link. "Looks like I'll get my wish after all. You ready to fight?"

Link muffled a snicker. "Sure, but we're picking the subject back up once we're done."

"Deal." Without further ado, Ashei charged forth with sword in hand. Link could tell she planned to enjoy her little excursion, and he decided to do so as well.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

The elder hylian was hiding in the forest facing the castle belonging to House Sekun. Behind him was the much younger hylian, watching the skirmish with little interest. Along the foreground in front of the castle walls, no more than a hundred yards away, several dozen bulblins ran about at random, firing arrows up at the walls. The guards atop the walls ducked behind the battlements to avoid the volley heading towards them. As this occurred, another group of bulblins pushed their large battering ram into the gates. They were making slow progress, but it was not necessary for them to break through.

Still it seemed rather pointless for Shad to continue observing the battle from their position. It wasn't strategically significant, nor were they relaying any orders to the battle. He couldn't help but wonder why Auru had decided to be so close to the battlefield.

Before he could ask about it, he heard the sound of a horn coming from the south. At that moment, Lord Aric and a large band of his riders stormed down a vast hill towards the bulblins. At the sight of their opposition, the bulblins immediately withdrew to the forest where Shad and Auru waited. The cavalry followed them inside at full speed. Once hidden inside the dense trees, they halted their assault and began to hack at trees, making all sorts of sounds to indicate to those watching that the fight was brutal. Lord Aric galloped to me Auru while the others continued their façade.

"We'll wait another five minutes before we ask for shelter in the castle. With you two here, Rusl has requested to join us in the battle."

"He's here now?" Auru inquired uncomfortably. Aric pointed over to one of the horsemen hacking at the limb of a tree. It was difficult to recognize him underneath his suit of armor, but there was no denying his signature style of swordplay that which Link had derived from. Auru returned his glance to the mounted noble. "He has been showing some difficulties with maintaining his anger as of late. Did he show any anxiety when he asked this of you?"

"He did not. In fact he was quite collected when he did. If it is your wish, I can have him wait here with you until we signal for your entrance."

"Oh, no. If he has truly calmed himself, then he would prove to be a valuable asset. He was quite the duelist in Hyrule."

"Very well." Aric trotted over to his troops, waiting for the instance to approach the castle. When the time had come, he ordered his troops into formation. A few of the soldiers had created fake wounds upon their bodies to help sell their story to Lord Sekun.

Shad took the opportunity to sit down cross-legged, holding his head up with his fist. He looked up at Auru, wondering if they really needed to stay here since the outer battle was over. The older man must have sensed Shad's eyes turn towards him, for he twisted slightly to meet his gaze. "You have something on your mind?"

Shad nodded lightly. "I'm . . . curious as to why we aren't waiting back at camp."

"Because they dismantled it already. Aric's standing army needed to be ready to move into the castle as soon as it's conquered."

"That's not wh- . . . wait. You mean the rest of us aren't staying either?" Shad's mind became full of questions he didn't even want.

"Only the night, as before. Time is not standing with us. The faster we can begin retaking the other castles, the more support we'll have before the Diamond commences a full counterattack."

"Uff!" The younger hylian fell on the ground, stunned at what he heard. "I was hoping to have a chance to relax and continue reading my books. Well, I suppose I'll just have to make do with the short time we have while we're still here."

"Yes . . . I'm afraid you won't have time for that either." Auru stated grimly. Shad looked up to his companion in confusion. The elder explained himself. "You and I are going to have some one-on-one time to prepare you in the event you're caught in battle."

"What? Bu- . . . Are you serious?"

"Oh, I don't intend on sending you to the frontlines with the others, but I believe that if I were to help train you for combat, it will help you overcome your natural fears."

"Is _that_ why we're so close to the battle, to help me overcome my fear? Look, I . . . I appreciate what you're trying to do. Truly I do. However, I can tell you in assuredly that it most certainly won't work."

At this point, the clashing of swords and shields could be heard within the castle. Auru chose to ignore them for the time being. "Is that so? And you know this because . . ."

"Because my fear is seated much deeper than mere combat." Shad found it difficult to explain his dilemma. "You see, I can only occasionally show strength because I'm with my friends, like in the bar, or when we followed Link into Hyrule Castle during the twilight incident."

"You lack a general confidence in yourself." Auru surmised quite quickly. "I understand the feeling, if in only a slightly different form."

"Oh? How so?"

"As the tutor to the Zelda, it was my job to ensure that she would become a sensible and educated ruler. The problem was that she held the Triforce of Wisdom even at birth. It put me at such an awkward position, knowing that my student was wiser than I, that I often wondered if I was at all necessary at all. Despite the obvious fact that none was more qualified than I perform these duties, I had little confidence in myself."

"Did you eventually overcome these fears?"

"In a way. Eventually, Zelda approached me on the matter, apparently aware of my unease. She told me that she took every lesson I taught her to heart, and that she was glad that I was there to guide her. Not only that, but she wished that once she was ruler, she wanted me to stay in the palace and advise her. She was wise enough to realize that she wasn't perfect, and although she didn't need my help, she desired it.

"You see," Auru concluded, "I realized that there was no reason to be unsure of myself because my capabilities were clear. Just because there was one, whom I taught, that may have been _more_ competent than I, it didn't make me any _less_ competent."

Shad smiled briefly, letting his problems go for second, but they quickly reunited with him as he suddenly let his head hang low with a much more solemn look on his face. "I thank you for your story, but it's still not the same. I don't know what my capabilities are. My strengths haven't been tested ever. And my family . . . my family line fell from our standing when we blindly and fearlessly reached for the heavens."

Auru raised an eyebrow. This was new to him, and he wasn't aware of his family status. He knew Shad's mother quite well, and had known his father before he had past on, but Shad's indication must have referred to someone much older in his history.

At that instant, the clatter in the keep had died down. Auru was surprised at the speed that they must have overcome their enemies. It was even faster than the last battle. Granted, there were more troops involved this time, allowing for them to dissolve the enemy forces with less struggling. Auru gazed towards the castle colors, waiting for them to change. Once they held Lord Aric's banner, Auru and Shad, as well as the rest of the army, would march into the castle.

After only a couple more minutes, the change was made. The tutor motioned for the scholar to follow him as he sauntered towards the castle. Before they were halfway across, he heard a couple of people scream, which caused Auru to hasten to the scene. It took him and his friend a while to navigate the unfamiliar streets, but they soon reached the center square, where the incident and occurred.

On the ground was a castle guard, clearly dead. A woman cried as she leaned over and held the body tight, trying to grasp the reason behind his death. Standing two feet above the soldier was Rusl. His sword was bloodied by the brutal blow that he had landed on the guard, but what shocked Auru even more was the fact that the soldier had not been armed. Rusl hung his head low, gripping something small in his left hand.

Auru came up to him from behind and put a hand on his shoulder. The human convulsed slightly, not realizing it was Auru. Once it had been made clear, Rusl ran to a far off corner of the town. Auru looked around to see the small crowd form around them. No doubt there would be great confusion about the confrontation, and automatic suspicion would fall upon the foreigners, so Auru gestured for Shad to stick with him as they pursued their somber friend.

They found him crouching before the northern wall, crying profusely. Auru repeated his act of placing his hand on the poor man's shoulder. This time, there was no reaction at all. Although Auru had no intention of condoning Rusl's actions, he knew he was going through a very hard time.

"Rusl, what happened? I thought you were over your anger." He took a whole minute before he at last responded. "I thought I had too but . . . that soldier . . . that soldier!"

Rusl finally held out his hand, revealing the small necklace, now bloodied by his hands. "It was Uli's. I'd bought it in Castle Town while we were courting, but I couldn't find it when we discovered her in town. I saw that soldier wearing it, like some kind of trophy! When I confronted him on it, he tried to deny it, but I knew the truth. He didn't just kill Uli. He had . . . had . . ."

He broke down at this point, unable to say the words that pained him like a sword to his heart. He had to wait a moment before continuing. "He begged for mercy when I made my intentions clear, but I found none within me to allow such an atrocity to go unpunished. That bastard deserved worse than what I could give, but it had to be me who gave it to him."

The grip on his sword tightened as he recalled the kill. "When I slaughtered him . . . I couldn't believe what I'd done. I had become as barbaric as he had, and when his loved one came to embrace him, all I could see was Uli's face, asking why I'd do such a thing."

Auru brought his own hand over Rusl's, asking him to let go of his blade. He compliantly obeyed, allowing the elder to take it. He then had the man stand to face him. "Though I have never felt such pain as you are going through, don't think I can't help you through it. And though you may need to stand alone eventually, that time hasn't come yet.

"Don't let your actions become your thoughts," Auru continued, as he began to lead him back to the main keep. "You never know what the consequences will be when you do."

It did not take long for Lord Aric to find the trio once they had entered the keep. The look on his face was one of disappointment, but surprisingly not of anger. "It seems that the people of the castle refuse to comply with our goals, despite their distaste for their lord. Rusl's actions and your sudden arrival on the scene have made them more than a little bit suspicious. But I must ask, for what reason did you kill that man?"

"Rusl says that it's the man that had slain his wife during the raid on his village."

Aric's brow furrowed. "That cannot be possible. According to his wife, and numerous witnesses, he'd been bed stricken with the gray plague for the last two months. He had only been put back on duty this last week."

"They must be lying." Rusl defended himself. He held out the necklace to further his cause. "This was my wife's. I found it on him."

Aric examined the necklace closely, but it did not take long for him to discern it. "Where did you say you acquired this?"

"Castle Town, in Hyrule."

"But we've had no connection with Hyrule for over two hundred years."

It was Rusl's turn to wrinkle his forehead. "What does that have anything to do with this?"

Aric didn't respond. He merely pointed to the tapestry behind him. A number of his soldiers were pulling it down. The symbol emblazoned on it was the same figure that was depicted on the necklace. Rusl's eyes widened as the sudden realization came to him. For some reason, he had seen the design of a silver horse, that of his wife's, as opposed to that of a shield with a cross guard of a sword and pike, that of House Sekun's seal.

No words could form in his mouth. He merely wandered away as if he were in a trance. Auru waved for Shad to keep an eye on him while he consulted with Aric. "Is there any way we can salvage the situation?"

The noble let out a heavy sigh while shaking his head. "Not for some time. I'll still leave the standing guards here to keep the peace while we're gone, but this venture has failed to prove as fruitful as we'd hoped."

"I apologize for Rusl's actions. I trust you at least understand his condition."

"Not necessary. I partially blame myself for placing him in such a position. We'll simply keep a better eye on him in the future." Aric broke away briefly to give some orders to the various soldiers in the hall before concluding his discussion with Auru. "Until then, I suggest you rest up. We have a far longer journey ahead of us."

The lord marched towards his troops, reinstating his earlier assertions to them, leaving Auru to discover Rusl's location. As he did he found himself sighing as well. "It seems I will have to delay my training with Shad until we have countered the damage done to Rusl's mind."


	25. Chapter 25

Author's Note:_ I realized that I did not make a change to an early chapter that I originally claimed to do. My absent-mindedness seems to know no bonds. By the time you read this chapter, it should have been corrected. If you don't notice it, then no harm, if you did, then go back and read Chapter 12 that contradicts the statement and see the changes made to suit the new issue._

**Chapter 25**

Broadstead was slightly larger in size to the first town the hylians had entered in Silidan. The real difference, however, was in its composition. Whereas the first town was mostly farmland, Broadstead was created as a part trading post and mining town. The streets of the town had many stores to abide the shoppers, while in the middle of town, a road led to the back to a lift that went down into the Crystal Faults. On this particular day, the trading section was more vibrant. Many of the residents and workers were strolling about the main street to meet with the multitude of travelers who came to purchase their unique goods.

As Link and Ashei approached the town, they wondered what the people's reaction would be to have hylians in town. Ashei considered brandishing their weapons as a precaution, but Link believed that they'd appear too aggressive and may just cause unnecessary trouble. Instead, they would stay on horseback while they entered the town with weapons sheathed. To their relief, nobody made note of their apparent dissimilarities. While Ashei found it peculiar, Link took that as a sign to search for a certain, crimson-haired man.

It only took a minute or so for Link to hear the sound of a lute playing in the distance. He followed the music to the center of town where he would undoubtedly find the minstrel. Sure enough, Mandrakos Fears was in the center plying away at the strings of his instrument and singing a song. This time, however, he was accompanied by a woman. She had much darker skin, which one may have mistaken for a gerudo, but her darker hair indicated otherwise. Although the style of clothes was similar to that of her counterpart, the colors were casual, and did not stand out as much. In her hands was a flute, which she played with incredible skill. Link and Ashei took a moment to listen in on the show.

_Deep red are the sunsets of mystical places_  
_Black are the nights on summer-day sands_  
_We'll find the speck of truth in each riddle_  
_Hold the first grain of love in our hands_

Again, the hero realized how well the strange man performed both with his music and with lyrics. This audience in particular was completely enthralled in the feat. Even Ashei couldn't help but listen to the enchanted music. Soon, the act came to a close, and the crowd responded with an abundance of applause. Mandrakos and his friend both bowed humbly, and waved them away, indicating that they were done. The spectators soon went their separate ways, allowing Link and Ashei the chance to speak to the jester. Before Link could take his first step towards him, Mandrakos smiled in his direction and greeted him loudly.

"Link! Ah, good to see you!" He took Link's forearm in his grasp and shook it firmly, while patting him on the shoulder with his free hand. "I trust you had no trouble with the locals this time?"

"None at all. I assumed that was your work again." The hylian smiled back, and as they broke their grip on each other he turned to introduce his companion. "This is my friend, Ashei. She was in the tournament with me if you recall."

"Oh, I do recall." He turned to shake her hand as well, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise." Ashei replied. "I've gotta admit, I was really surprised by your performance. It was really captivating."

"Well, as I like to say: songs from the wood make you feel much better." The tall man then spun to bring his own cohort to the front. "And this is _my_ friend, Evanith. She's been away on . . . other duties, but she found a couple days respite to stop here. "

Both Link and Ashei held out their hands for her to shake, but Evanith relented. Mandrakos tried to elucidate. "Sorry, I forget things sometimes. She's not very good with other people. You have no idea how long it took to get her to open up to me. Has this problem of living in the past. I'm afraid I can't explain further at this time."

"Sorry to hear that." Link said sympathetically. He turned his attention back to the bard. "I do not wish to press you for information, but I believe we had a deal."

"Quite so, quite so. And it just so happens that I have the information you are looking for." He took a step back to grab his satchel that he'd left on the ground. After rummaging through it for a couple seconds, he pulled out an item. "This is a patch for the noble house of Edravorn. Sanducci received one like this for selling Ilia to the son of the house lord."

"So, she's a slave now?" Link's tone had immediately darkened, so Mandrakos finished his discovery. "Ah, but don't you fret, don't you fear. I will give you good cheer. Lord Juse Edravorn's son, Filion, is by reputation a decent man. And according to Sanducci, the young man did not imply that she was a gift for someone else, so that leaves us to believe that she is safe, and not being abused."

Link finally broke a smile. "I appreciate that, but for what reason would he buy her?"

"I was wondering that myself, so I asked around the castle. Turns out that there was recently an attempt on Lord Juse's life. A number of servants had to be removed from service. Most likely, Ilia is just another replacement servant girl."

"But you couldn't see her?"

"Unfortunately, no. Again, because of the coup, they're being very protective of who they let in. They refused to let me be their new minstrel in the gallery."

"So what if she gets into trouble while we're busy? How do we-"

"He's not always this thick as a brick is he?" Mandrakos asked Ashei. She shook her head, "He really cares for her. I'm sure you can understand that, yeah?"

"Oh, I can understand, _yeah_. I was just making sure since he acted like this last time I saw him."

"You seem to know a whole lot for being just a simple jack." Ashei said inquisitively.

"Well, I've made it my business to obtain all knowledge that I can. I'm very fond of history and family trees." He let his smile shift slightly to a smug grin. "I'll wager you that if you give me your full name, _anyone's_ full name, I can tell you of the origins of the family name, and trace it down to at least six generations, possibly more, if given minor personal background."

"Really?" Ashei was not buying it.

"Try me."

"Okay . . . how about Auru Firlian?"

"Well that's an easy one. Firlian's originated twenty generations ago with Hezek Firlian, merchant of Hyrule of no special note. Four generations later, Ciri Firlian made a name for himself during an economical crisis. The Firlian's then became advisors to the throne ever since. I can recite each name if you insist."

"No, that _was _an easy one, I admit. Try mine next: Ashei Irnevire."

"Really? And you don't think this one is easy? The Irnevire name came into existence twenty-four generations ago when Derik Vice was released from prison. He changed his name to Ulric Irnevire in order to start a new life without people suspecting him of villainy. His son, Horis, joined the academy of knights once he was of age. The family has been in the service of the royalty ever since, giving it the distinction of having the longest lineage of nobility of any family."

Ashei's jaw dropped, and Link gave her a quizzical look. Once she reclaimed her dignity, she glanced towards her friend. "My family has tried to keep their past hidden for an incredibly long time."

"I understand." Link nodded. "It also just occurred to me why your father was so adamant about passing on the family name."

Ashei nodded in return. Link took Mandrakos up on his challenge next. "Okay, my friend Rusl has an unusual lineage. His surname is Sotur."

"Well, now _that_ truly is an interesting one. It started some nineteen generations ago with Kayle Sotur. He was a pilgram who originally came from the Silidan, hence his human lineage. When he reached Hyrule, he fell in love with the people and decided to become a resident. He was an inventor of sorts, and had many failed attempts at creating self-sustaining machines. His three next generations-Nimo, Wells, and Brenin-followed in his steps, but also failed. Next in the generation was Pruse, and he chose the less glorious job of a carnival performer. The family remained in that profession until after the tenth generation, which was Moke. Now, Moke had three sons. Do you know which one bore your friend?"

"I believe he said it was 'Kelso'."

"Ah, ha! Very good! Now, Kelso chose the life of a diplomat. He kept many relations with numerous different races, but his greatest work was with the gerudo tribe. He spent much time in the desert there, since a new gerudo king had recently been declared. He died, unfortunately of an unknown disease. He only had a daughter named Olemp, but she had fallen in love with the gerudo king. They had a child together, but gerudo tradition forced them apart, and she returned to Hyrule. She then married a man of the surname: Lorian. Her first child, Geruk, was forced into a life of disgrace, isolated himself by moving south to the land of Ordon. There he became a rancher and farmer."

Link could hardly stifle his laugh, and Ashei glared in confusion, as it was her turn to do so. The hero regained his composure, but couldn't hide the smile on his face. "I thought that one would trump you."

"Then I suppose there's no point in assuming you don't know Shad's past." Ashei shrugged in defeat.

"Oh? Is his name well known?"

Ashei simply said the word, "Duro."

Mandrakos began to cackle with amusement. Evanith tried to calm him down, but the genealogist couldn't help himself. Link took the moment to speak to Ashei. "I know Shad doesn't like to talk too much about his family history, but was there something I should know?"

"You mean you don't?" Mandrakos was still wailing as he responded. "Oh, then you won't mind if I sing _The Fall of the Dragon Rider _to explain?"

"Uh-"

"He would." Ashei intervened on Link's behalf. "We _do_ have a purpose for our presence, and we could use whatever help you can give."

"Are you sure? It's only sixteen verses long, I co-" Evanith nudged him with her elbow, indicating for him to drop it. "Oh, very well. Perhaps another time."

"Thanks." Ashei took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts on what information she needed. "Link was told that another one of the spirits lies inside the Crystal Faults. Can you tell us where it is and how to free it?"

"You already possess the tools to free it, and if you don't, you _will_. You don't really need my guidance, but I will mark on your map the location of the sunken shrine. I have the utmost confidence that you will easily discover the opening."

"Now that right there..." Ashei paused in mid-sentence. She attempted to speak again with a different approach, posing the question to Link instead. "Don't you find it funny that your friend only helps when he wants to?"

"Ashei, please..."

"Really, my dear highborn hunting girl," Mandrakos cut Link off again, choosing to defend himself. "Not to be boastful, but I help more people about this land than just you, and I must assist them all. I have a tightly knit schedule to keep, and you, Link, are amongst the few that can do most things by himself, or at least, with someone watching your back; just like during the Twilight Invasion."

"You had ears in Hyrule during that time?" Ashei's suspicions were growing.

"Well, as you had easily surmised, I'm not just a traveling jack. I've been working towards changing this land for a long time."

"How long is 'a long time'?"

"Well, let's see . . . somewhere around two hundred years."

Ashei's jaw dropped. Link was too busy processing what that could mean. Eventually, he was able to piece it together. "You're the advisor in the legend of House Maukro."

"Hey! So you _can_ figure things out. I was beginning to worry for a second. Yes, I was there when the wizzrobes tried to subtly take over the broken kingdom and turn it into an empire. I knew that they would eventually turn their sights to Hyrule, and I knew that the abomination would be there in the end to swallow the survivors up if nothing was done to stop it. So I set several plans in motion to ensure that it did not, starting with House Maukro.

"With the help of the Spirits, the newly created Ordon Forest halted their immediate attempts. While I was positive I could keep the empire splintered, there was still the concern on how to reverse the effects of the abomination on this land. I finally came to the realization, that the only person on this earth, who could possibly deal with this issue, was the Hero of legend."

He paused from his exposition to point at Link. "That's you of course, but it had been so long since the last time the Hero had exposed himself, I had to have eyes on Hyrule while I kept busy here."

It made sense to the young man. Mandrakos was the reason that Silidan even had people that weren't completely hostile towards the hylians. However, there was one thing that didn't yet make sense. "You're very wise, Mandrakos, and very old too. What stopped you from taking my place when I was not around?"

"A two-fold question! How bold of you. Though I'm by neither human nor hylian, I'm no deity either. I will not tell you my entire story, as it does not concern the present situation, but I will say my existence has become one of aiding those in need. Let's just say that although I'm a _decent_ fighter, I am not you. Also I've been forbidden from attempting to fulfill anyone else's place in the grand scheme of things if I were capable of doing so. Does that answer your question?"

"Just got one more for you." Ashei brought herself back into the fold. "Where are you going that's so important that you can't help out?"

"Why, to rejoin with Lord Aric and resume my services to him, as he prepares for the next attack." He turned to look up at the sun. "It's getting late. I suggest you take the lift down to the faults while you can. As for me and my friend, we must be off."

He waved them good-bye as he marched off in the most over-the-top manner, shouting grand commands to no one in particular. "Bring me my broadsword! Hymark, my faithful steed, let me find you a filly for your proud stallion seed!" As he grew further away from the hylians, he turned to Evanith and spoke in a hushed tone. "How many did I make?"

Evanith rolled her eyes, not amused at Mandrakos' most recent game. "Including the song: nine."

"Well then, I suggest we take a walk on velvet green to make it an even ten."

Link and Ashei had a chuckle over the ancient man's behavior before starting towards the lift.

"I noticed you cut him off from explaining Shad's story." Link commented. "What does it have to do with dragons?"

Ashei replied casually. "Shad's great-great-great-grandfather or other had delusions for grandeur. He had made extensive studies that would supposedly allow him to tame and ride a dragon. Of course, he failed, and died. Several other Duro's in the family had attempted to finish his work, including his father, but they all failed and died as well." At this point, Ashei's tone turned serious. "Shad has studied his ancestors' work, and has yet to find anything wrong with it. It's . . . twisted his mind."

Link was able to deduce the rest. Shad had no confidence in himself because even when evidence supported his theories, he would always come to the conclusion that he would fail; at least, when things might proved to be fatal. Ashei interrupted his thoughts with a comment of her own. "I noticed you didn't ask him to tell you of your lineage."

Link let a half-smile out. "If I had a surname, or knew who my parents were, I would have asked him."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

The lift ride was quick and painless, allowing Link and Ashei to waste no time searching for the temple Mandrakos had kindly marked on their map. Still, they allowed themselves some time to become aware of their surroundings. The strange crystalline formations were a peculiarity to them, and gave them much time to ponder their origins. Though the sun had already begun its decent in the west, the light from the crystals brought the large canyon to life in a way that they had never seen before. The strangest thing to them was how these white minerals shimmered and reflected a rainbow of colors all over the various surfaces. The hylians considered the possibility that these were the same gems that allowed the Diamond to shine as it did, but the lack of the rainbow reflection caused them to forgo that thought.

"So what was it like not having parents?" Ashei finally popped the question that she had, up until now, been able to avoid asking. It seemed her curiosity got the best of her.

"Well..." Link tried to find the words that would properly translate the feelings he had on the subject. "It's not like I was a wild boy who did whatever. Many of the villagers took care of me. However, from watching the likes of Colin, Beth, Talo and Malo grow up, I did feel like I was missing something. I'd often wondered who my parents were and what they did and why they weren't around."

"Do you still wonder?"

"Sometimes." Link let out a deep breath. There was a pause for a second before he elaborated. "I may never know the answer, but I don't let it bother me. I've grown up, I've matured, and I've come out alright regardless. I wouldn't want my own children to have to go through such an ordeal, though."

"Your children?" Ashei pondered aloud. Link merely smiled, pressing Ashei to ask for more. "So...if you get back together with Ilia, you plan to have a lot of kids?"

The way she emphasized 'if' seemed strange to Link, especially since she was just as aware of her location as he was. "_When_ I have my reunion with her, and we marry soon after, I hope to have a few. Not sure how many exactly."

He decided to turn the tables on his traveling companion. "What about you? Ever thought about having kids?"

"Me?" Ashei began turning red, floundering in her mind on how to respond, she changed the subject. "Hey, shouldn't we have reached the temple by now?"

It had been a decent length of time and they had as of yet to see the structure they had presumed would be visible. Link gazed at the map again to check their bearings. They had approached the spot on their map, but saw no building of any sort. Link did, however, noticed a large crack in the ground. Upon closer inspection he was able to divine the inconsistency.

The temple had sunken into the cracks of a new fault line.

"Looks like we'll have to climb down, yeah?" Ashei exposited.

Link nodded his head, removing himself from the edge of the cliff and returning to his horse. He rummaged through the pack Epona held and pulled out his clawshots. Returning to the rim, he tried to detect a surface that he could latch onto that would allow for him to descend safely. To his disappointment, he could not find any close enough for his equipment to reach. It was Ashei who had procured the solution.

"I can't believe that with all your gear you don't have a simple length of rope." She was only teasing, and Link smiled in response. After securing one end on a strong formation, she tossed the other over the side. After seeing it touch the bottom, Ashei commenced to climbing down the edge. As Link prepared to do the same, he heard Harmless whine at him. The smile on his face vanished as he realized that their guardian couldn't follow them down. "Sorry, buddy, but you have to stay here and watch over Epona and Mytyr."

Harmless whined again, but returned to the horses, keeping a watchful eye. The hylian finally was able to follow Ashei down the cliff.

"You know," Ashei inquired as she descended, "If the ground here is bound to erupt and split, why do you think the silidians would build a temple in this place?"

Link pondered the question, but couldn't come up with a decent response. As his feet touched the ground, he did his best to accommodate her. "Perhaps it was here before they realized how unsafe it was."

"That's a stretch." Ashei rolled her eyes as she approached the first remnants of the temple. A pair of pillars crossed the canyon, allowing for a small entrance just beneath that led to a grand labyrinth of caverns. Link was first to observe the peculiarity. "Looks like the temple led down into these caves before the earth ruptured."

"The slopes down are pretty steep, we might not make it back up if we go down now." Ashei commented. Link shook his head and replied, "We can't stop here. If you want to wait up for me, I'll go by myself."

"Ha! No you aren't! I've been waiting to see something like this for a long time. Don't think that this alone would stop me."

Link couldn't suppress his grin as he began his descent into the massive maze. Ashei quickly followed suit and slid down the dirt-covered grade. The bottom was surprisingly bright with all the refracting crystals. It did, however, leave an eerie feeling to the caves.

"Any idea which way to go?" Ashei inquired her friend. The crag opened up into two separate passageways. Link shrugged his shoulders and simply began walking down the path on the left. Realizing that was his only reply, Ashei rushed up to catch him. The path descended slightly, but mostly swirled further to the left. Eventually, the hylians reached the end of the path only to see that it led nowhere.

Ashei was ready to move on, but Link stopped to inspect it more closely. As he reached the furthest wall, he began to feel about it with his hands. The dirt began to crumble to reveal the makings of a door. Link quickened his pace in illuminating the discovery while pondering its significance. Before long he ascertained that the door was part of the cave, and therefore, interconnected with what the temple used to be.

Once the door had been completely exposed, Ashei found herself at a loss for words, but only temporarily; they came back to her rather quickly. "I'm just gonna follow your lead from now on."

"Be my guest." Link replied shortly while opening the door. The next area widened out to a rather large room. Though it still had the same dirt-covered ground and walls, it also consisted of some silidian architecture. Columns and tapestries surrounded the chamber, but their meaning was lost on the foreigners. There were also fewer crystals surrounding this room, so the natural light of the room was darker, but it was offset by a number of torches.

The largest tapestry, however, looked familiar. It reminded Link of the designs that surrounded the door in the graveyard sanctuary. It had the same similar script that he couldn't read. Pulling out his Mask of Truth, he hoped to find some extra etchings, but to his surprise, there were none. That left only the option of translation. "Ashei, pull out the book from Shad, see if you can decipher these mark-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he heard the ground about him making a strange noise. It moved about the room, and sounded like that of a snicker, but he wasn't sure what it was. Ashei had heard it too, and had drawn her weapons in preparation for the worse. The sound then suddenly halted. There was a pause of silence for a couple of seconds or so. Then, all of a sudden, a dozen insect-like creatures leapt from the dirt, screeching loudly and commenced to attack the invaders.

Link quickly drew his shield and bashed the first one to approach him, which was about the size of his head. It recoiled quickly, but the hylian had drawn his sword and sliced it cleanly by then. The others were swift to charge at him, but he dispatched them with a well-timed spin of his sword. As he searched for more of these insects, his eyes moved towards Ashei. She was doing quite well for herself, slaying the creatures as though they were more of a nuisance than a threat. It suddenly dawned on Link that he was beginning to enjoy having company with him that were capable and competent.

It was a short battle, and as the last of the pests were destroyed, Link finished his request. "Pull out Shad's book and see if you can discern the figures on the mural."

Ashei did as requested, and began to rummage through its pages. As soon as she was done bobbing her head from between the mural and the book, she gave her summation. "It's a weird language, and this may be a rough translation, but I think it says 'You can't read what you can't see. The path you chose is wrong, but the true light will give you the way in'. Got any idea what that means?"

"It's a riddle of some sort. Ancient silidians seem to have a fondness for them." Link mused over the writings. He'd already tried looking at it with the Mask of Truth, but the text didn't change. Yet, 'true light' seemed to refer to his mask. "Ashei, could you get a specific translation for 'true light?' The wording of the riddle might be dependent on this."

Ashei looked through the book again. It took her several minutes, but she finally deduced the problem. "It's a two-part word, not two separate words. Though the meaning is still the same, it's a holy term referring to the sun."

It gave Link a bit more information, but it wasn't enough to solve the riddle on its own. He decided to take a look around the chamber for a while. Paying closer attention to his surroundings, he noticed a few peculiarities. The only crystals that were in the room sat by the western wall. Further searching elucidated another piece of interest. A large sheet of wall hidden behind several tapestries that seemed to serve no purpose. Hidden under the earth of the wall revealed a track that it would follow, allowing for ease of movement provided one had the strength to do so. Unfortunately, it was far to heavy for Link and Ashei to move on their own.

Link didn't give up, he followed the tracks in order to determine their destination. He soon found that it moved to cover up the western wall, cutting away all light from the crystals. This lead him back to the torches. The pieces slowly came together for him.

"Light from the sun is fire. The sun was a gift of Din, the goddess of power." Link then surmised of the temple's usage. "This place must have been used to worship Din. They must have thought that building their temple here, that the light of the goddess would illuminate for miles and miles. Instead, it seems to obscure it."

Ashei considered the possibility. "That sounds great, but how does that help us with the riddle?"

"Right. All we need to do is remove the light of the crystals from this room. Since we can't move the wall to help us, we're going to have to come up with another method."

Ashei immediately took to the first crystal she could find and attempted to hack it off with her sword. To her surprise, it sliced through as smooth as butter, not rending the blade slightly. What also surprised her was that the crystal immediately went dark after doing so. "Huh. Certainly wasn't expecting that. Guess these aren't the same things that make the Diamond shimmer, yeah?"

"Perhaps, or maybe there is a special way to cut them without losing the light." As he finished speaking, he immediately copied Ashei's work in cutting away at the crystals. Once all the crystals grew dark, the two turned back to the tapestry. With only the light of the fires left, the writing on the tapestry shifted and changed. Ashei rapidly pulled out Shad's book again and translated the new message, mumbling a few words aloud. "The . . . unrequited . . . claim . . . hoof!"

Her exhaustive breath indicated that she would shorthand this translation. Once she finished, she looked back to Link. "There's a key to the other door that will reveal itself as soon as you put out the flames."

His eyebrows rose at the sound. Symbolically of the temple, that seemed to make little sense. Perhaps there was a supernatural reason that the temple had fallen into the earth and was abandoned. As Link completed the task of dousing the fires, he could hear the humming of a chest revealing itself in the darkness. It sounded like it was near the tapestry, naturally calling Link to find it. In his hurry to do so, he tripped over one of the lampstands.

Except it wasn't a lampstand. From beneath him, he could hear Ashei groan, though she didn't quite sound like her normal self. Once his hands found solid ground, he pushed himself up, apologizing. "Sorry, I really should've known you were there."

Ashei followed suit, rising to her feet in the darkness. "No, no. It's not a problem."

Link tried to focus on Ashei, despite it being impossible. She really wasn't quite herself. "Is something wrong, Ashei?"

"Me?" Ashei asked quizzically, while opening the chest and pulling out the key. "I'm fine. Why'd you ask?"

"Nothing, you just...are you thinking about your father again?"

"Nope, I'm...maybe I'm a little tired. We had been riding for over a week trying to reach this part of the kingdom."

Link almost corrected her on Silidan being an 'empire,' but chose not to. "Do you want to rest for a little bit?"

"No, I'll manage. Let's just try to hurry through the rest of this, yeah?"

Another nod from Link and they left through the door. Following the passage back up, the hylians took to the path they had forgone before. It was a little longer, but it quickly split as well. Again, Link chose to pick the left side. After another minute of walking, they saw the end, and how it was blocked by rubble from the temple. Searching through the cracks, they could see a door behind it with a giant lock over it. This was their destination, but they were stuck.

Ashei was already beside him trying to lift the rubble, but it was lodged in too well. "Could any of your bombs work on this?"

Link pulled one out from his pouch and set it down before lighting. "Always worth a shot. Might want to stand back."

As she complied, Link activated the bomb, and rushed back to join her. After the four-second fuse dissipated, it exploded, and as the dust cleared, their efforts had proven to be fruitless. Without another word, they hurried back to the forked path to check the other crag. To their fortune, the door at the end was clear and clean.

They opened the door cautiously. The room was quite smaller than the first they'd entered, but it still had a decent amount of space too explore. There were more crystals as well, making the room almost blindingly bright. Though it was difficult to see, it was obvious that the room was essentially empty, so the search seemed to come to another halt. Despite this, Link moved to examine the room's surroundings. Too focused on searching the walls and floors, he neglected to look to the ceiling.

"Link, above you!"

Link popped his head and jumped back just to evade the creature. Seconds later, it was followed by three others. Wielding large hand axes, these lizard-like creatures screeched in anger before charging at the trespassers. Link speedily drew his blade and shield and charged one. Their blades connected, but the larger beast had more strength behind his attack, forcing Link to stumble backwards slightly. A second one took this opportunity to finish the job. Link swiped underneath his attack, quietly thanking the longer reach of his sword. The second beast staggered backwards, feeling the pain in its chest, but the slash wasn't deep enough to take him out of the fight. The first had prepared his own attack now, and was back on Link again.

On the other side of the room, Ashei was having just as much difficulty with the other two. She too, not being strong enough in a straight confrontation, had to use both blades to block the powerful blows of the monsters. Though her style of attack did allow for her to make a few quick jabs with her shorter blade, they too were not strong enough to penetrate the thick hides. She realized quickly that she needed to turn the tide, or they'd tire out. As the first one on her raised his ax, she drove both of her swords into his belly, and drove him back towards the wall. The second, taken aback by the action, completely botched his own strike, missing completely and falling behind Ashei.

As Ashei slammed her opponent into the wall, she glanced at her pinned foe. He was still alive, but had been weakened to the point where he had dropped its ax to the ground. She hastily pulled her blades out and lopped off its head. Her instincts kicked in as she spun around to find the second right on her. It was now his turn to pin her against the wall with his arms. Unable to maneuver her hands to manipulate her blades, Ashei was forced to use other methods. She realized that she was also lifted a foot or so above the ground, giving her a possible escape. With all her might, she kicked the monster between the legs. The beast recoiled in agony. Tough as it was, it apparently had the same weakness as any man. Finishing him off proved to be a simple feat in his state.

Ashei peered over to her ally, seeing him finish up both of the beasts with a powerful spinning attack. A mild grin creased her face as she helped Link recover from his attack. Playfully, she asked, "Are you done, now?"

Link shook his head from side to side furiously, almost as though he were a canine. He nodded to her after dusting off his tunic. He made his own sly remark in return. "Do me a favor, and promise me you won't fight that dirty when we duel again."

A laugh from the girl signified her compliance. During their mild joshing, a humming sound started in the middle of the room as another chest appeared. This one was slightly larger than the last, indicating its greater importance. The two rushed to see their prize. Link took a good look at it before kneeling down to open it up. He was anxious to see what treasure laid inside.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

A trumpet sounded, signaling the army to halt. The massive line of troops complied as quickly as they were able. Auru, riding near the back of the column grew curious. After waiting a minute or so, Lord Aric came riding back towards him.

"We've become ahead of schedule." The noble explained. "Either we stop here and finish marching tomorrow, or keep pressing on until noon the next day."

Auru sighed as he thought it over. "They're your troops, how well do you think they'll fair through the night?"

"Normally I'd say 'well', but by taking the cut through the mountains, we're now faced with the Sinking Swamp. I'm not sure if they'll be able to navigate it."

"Then we should rest tonight." Auru suggested. Aric nodded and motioned for his men to dismount. As the soldiers began to make camp, Auru went searching for Rusl. He found him riding off to the side, quite a distance behind. Thankfully, Shad had kept Rusl company to prevent him from doing anything regrettable. He even began talking again, though he clearly was still struggling internally over what he'd done back at House Sekun.

Auru approached the pair and greeted them warmly. "We're camping here for the night. Rusl? Are you going to be alright?"

Rusl attempted a smile, but couldn't force himself to do so. "I'm getting better. I just...I'm going to need some time to myself at some point."

Auru gave him a weary look. "I'm not sure that's the best course of action. Suppose that that's when you need help the most?"

"I can't think straight while people are around me." Rusl tried to argue, his unease showing more clearly. Auru replied calmly. "Then don't think about it now. I suspect once Link returns, you'll find it easier to open up."

Rusl lowered his head and nodded, but the elder hylian tried to cheer him up. "How about you go talk with Master Gilbert? I know he'd interested in learning more about hylian culture."

"Well if he's interested in 'hylian' culture than I can proba-" Shad tried to chime in, but Auru interrupted him, answering his question in the process. "You and I are going to finish that lesson we'd started earlier."

Shad gulped lightly, while Rusl sauntered off towards the front of the column, where Gilbert resided. Auru helped Shad off his mount and move slightly further away from the rest of the company. After handing him a short, wooden sword, he turned to face him in a basic attack stance. "I understand why you are concerned about fighting when the odds are unpredictable, but if you just learn how to fight properly, you will be able to reduce those unknowns."

"Look, I appreciate this and all, but-" Auru ignored his complaints and raised his own wooden sword to attack. Shad raised the blade to guard, halting his train of thought. Auru followed through with several more similar attacks. He made sure that his strikes were slow enough for Shad to easily block, while not too slow for him to realize it. Shad's reactions consistently became more erratic, and he soon lost the ability to stop even those. After only a minute, Auru landed a hit on Shad's left thigh.

The young hylian rubbed the wound while exhaling through gritted teeth. Auru shook his head in dismay. "Why did you give up?"

"I didn't 'give up.' You're just better than me."

"Wrong." His mentor helped him back to his feet. "I saw it in your face. You gave up. Now, why did you do it?"

"I _didn't_ give up. Why must you persist in assuming that I did?"

"Shad I don't know what to do with you. You know how to fight and yet you refuse to put more than the most minimal effort into these exercises." Auru sighed and rubbed his temples. He stood there for a moment while pondering how to proceed. "It seems that I've exhausted all my resources."

"Well, if that's true, then I suppose the lesson is over th-"

"We're _not_ done. I simply must take more drastic measures this time." Auru immediately drew out a pair of steel blades and tossed one at Shad's feet. "Perhaps an _actual_ threat will remind you that you can't just give up in the middle."

"Now, now! Wait a second!" Too busy protesting, Shad was unprepared for Auru's violent assault. Shad brought his sword up to defend, forgetting that it was still made of wood. With his sword shattered, Shad resorted to his most trustful tool: running. He tried to escape Auru's seeming insanity, still complaining as he did so. "Where were you even carrying those sw-"

"Shad! If you keep running you'll only wear yourself out sooner! Pick up the real sword and fight back!"

He knew Auru was right, but the feeling inside told him that if he just kept running, all of his problems would go away; just keep running and never look back. He kept this up for a couple minutes, until his eventual tiring. Almost instantly, he collapsed to the ground, panting as heavily as he could. Looking up, he saw Auru approaching with vigor. His sword was high, prepping a powerful blow. Shad shut his eyes, and prayed quietly, trying to wish away this nightmare.

Above him, he heard Auru sigh. Opening his eyes, Shad saw the blade hovering only inches away from his face, and Auru acting defeated. The blade soon was retracted, and the old man held out a hand to help his friend up. "I'm sorry, Shad. This was clearly a mistake."

Shad took his hand and pulled himself up. Although he was just attacked by him moments ago, he felt no ill-will towards him. "I know what you were trying to do, but if you'd just let me explain, I could have told you that wasn't going to work."

"Yes, but I believe that I let myself go, hoping you would react the way I would when I am afraid. I forget that even when frightened, people do not always react the same way." As they walked back to where they'd been training, Auru tried to talk it over with Shad. "Look, being an invaluable companion doesn't mean that your other traits should be ignored if they may be detrimental to you. We're at war, Shad. Suppose what would happen if you were caught in the middle of that raid in Ordon. What would you have done?"

The scholar couldn't find an answer that would please the elder hylian, but after several minutes of pondering in silence, he finally had an answer _he_ liked. "I'd help the others to run away."

Auru froze in his place. As if a revelation had dawned on him, he spoke as if to himself. "I see. Now I know why this wasn't working. It makes much more sense now than before."

"Are you ok, Auru?" Shad asked, to which his friend replied. "Yes, yes. Go get some sleep. I must revise our exercises again. If we have time tomorrow we will try again."

"With the _wooden_ swords next time?"

Auru smiled at him warmly. "With the wooden swords."

* * *

The chest opened with a subdued, creaking noise. Link removed a sheet of cloth within to reveal the treasure inside. A pair of shining gauntlets, made of leather with gold-trimming along the hands and fingers. On the back of the palm of each one, rested a decent-sized gemstone. It was the gemstone that intrigued Link the most.

As he began removing his own gauntlets, Ashei made her own comment about their new findings. "Is this how you got most of your other gear: kill a couple monsters and it appears mysteriously out of light?"

"Usually." Link responded, paying little heed to the significance of the question. As he sank his hands into each of the gauntlets, he felt a subtle surge of power course through him. When he tried to buckle the straps, he found his now metal-covered fingers too stubby to complete the job. He rose his head to his friend. "Would you mind helping me tie these up?"

"As you wish." She replied with a smirk on her face. Despite wearing protective gloves, she proved to be far more agile and capable of buckling each of the straps and tightening them nicely. "I don't see why _I _can't wear them, but I guess that's the _hero's_ job, yeah?"

Ashei finished up the last strap for him and stepped back. "Does the _hero_ approve of my work?"

Link nodded and smiled. "They feel great."

"Good. Now, what do they do?"

"Well, I've got a good feeling..." He left the room at a moderate pace, heading for the blocked entrance. Ashei looked confused, but chose to follow him while trying to get him to finish his train of thought. "Feeling about...?"

"Just give me a second." Link replied calmly. The passage had remained unchanged, with the massive rubble still covering the door. Link approached the rubble, crouched down and began to lift the broken columns. He felt a surge of energy as he did so, making the stones feel lighter than air. With his strength, he could even toss the massive stones away. As the path was now made clear, he felt the rush of power dissipate, leaving him a bit dizzy.

"Enhanced strength..." Ashei commented while nodding. "How convenient."

As Link recovered, he noticed that he was actually perspiring slightly. "Despite having its own source of energy, it's very draining."

Ashei approached the door and used her key to unlock it. As she did so, the key disappeared, and the locks surrounding the door collapsed before combusting into a cloud of dark-purple smoke. As startling as she found it, she decided to take it in stride, since many things she'd witnessed made little sense to her. Link slowly followed while taking a drink from his canteen.

Just inside the door, they saw that the crag turn incredibly wide, and had a very significant drop down. From where they stood, they were practically looking down a cliff to see what was below. Everything was still lit brightly, so they could see the remains of a pulley system shattered at the bottom, destroyed by more rubble from the temple. There was no other path down that the hylians could see.

Ashei was the first to propose and idea. "Link, do you think we could climb down the side using those gauntlets?"

"Possibly." Link reached for the nearest wall and searched for something to latch onto. To his luck, the gauntlets extended some claws to assist, allowing him to grip the wall more firmly. He kept maneuvering about the wall, familiarizing himself to his new tool. After about a minute or so, he was ready. Moving next to the cliff, he motioned to Ashei. "You'll have to climb on my back, and pray that you don't let go."

"Right." Ashei responded, as she began enveloping her limbs around him. Her legs wrapped along the inside of his while she place her arms around his chest. To Link's surprise, she asked an unexpected question. "Am I grasping on too hard?"

Link shook his head. "Do you need a little more? I know that shield is probably getting in the way."

Ashei snickered to herself. "Yeah, it does, but I'm fine. So long as I can keep my legs wrapped, I should be alright."

As Ashei motioned that she was ready, Link began his descent. Though the surface was soft enough for him to use his feet, he found it difficult to do so with Ashei's own legs surrounding his own. This made him decide to use only his arms and hands, which made the descent rather excruciating. Though the gauntlets gave him the strength and grip needed to hold on, he still had to rely on his own endurance. He was suddenly grateful that he never let up his physical fitness when he was living in Castle Town.

At about a third of the way down, the two were startled by another high-pitched sound. Though different from the earlier one, they knew that it meant the same thing: something was about to attack. They looked both up and down, but couldn't find where the noise was coming from. After hearing some light shuffling, they were drawn to the far wall, and finally saw them. A pack of feline-like beasts were making their way towards them, using their own claws to climb across. There was still some distance between them, which gave the hylians time to prepare.

"Ashei, you're gonna have to fight them off!"

"Sure, just make sure you drop us down as fast as you can!" Ashei took hold of her short sword from her belt, still holding onto Link with her left hand. The first feline creature approached from their left, which Ashei quickly dispatched. Link tried his hardest to rush down the cliff, but was afraid that if he moved too frantically, he'd cause Ashei to fall down. Two more of the cat-like beasts attacked from both sides. Ashei was able to take the one on the right, but was too slow in slashing the other. It got snagged on Ashei's armored side, and was vanquished shortly after.

Another pair began their approach. Not wanting to test her luck anymore, Ashei pulled her second sword. Tightening her legs' grip, she struck both creatures at the same time. As she watched them fall, she saw another two coming from below. Before she could react, one had latched onto her back, while the other had snatched up Link's legs. Ashei did her best to shake off the one behind her, but couldn't do so. It continued its attempt to penetrate her armor, but also found its efforts fruitless. Link, on the other hand, was too busy trying to keep his grip to bother responding to the feline digging its claws into his leg. He kept climbing down until overwhelmed with pain, and finally swatted the monster away with his power gauntlet. It caused him to swing his back towards the side of the cliff, which also served to relieve Ashei of her own excess weight.

As Link recovered his grip, Ashei took another look about. There were still six more of those creatures, but they had suddenly stopped there attack, and had retreated back to whatever hole they'd been hiding in. At first she thought they'd learn their lesson, until she heard a familiar snickering noise, but this time much louder than before. Searching the cavern again, she realized that it was coming from above. At that point, the noise had become so loud that Link took a look himself. Popping out of the dirt ceiling was a massive insect monster; a giant compared to the far smaller ones they'd encountered earlier in the caves. It screeched, almost deafening the hylians, and began a rapid descent to catch its prey.

"Link, you _might_ want to go faster!" Ashei suggested, to which Link made one of his own. "Then grab hold with your arms, and let me move my own legs!"

Ashei did such, unwrapping her legs while gripping tightly around his waist with her arms. Though his left leg was still injured, Link rushed down the cliff. With the monster still in pursuit, Ashei could only pray that they would have a chance to fight it once they reached the bottom. Unfortunately, the creature was gaining on them. With maybe fifteen feet keeping the two parties apart, Link did the only think he could think of: he jumped off the cliff side.

Using the gauntlets, he was able to cushion the impact by landing on his hands. The constant use of that power, however, had left him completely drained, and unable to face the new opponent. Thankfully, Ashei hadn't let go until that point, so when Link finally fell over, she was able and ready to stand back up and face the beast head-on.

Recognizing Link's exhaustion, she did her best to move him to the side before the monster finished climbing down the side of the cave. When it did land, it seemed quite aware that Link would be the easier target, and honed in on him. Ashei took note of the monster's intent, and set herself between the two, both swords drawn again.

The beast approached on all six legs with its pincers mashing together continuously. Ashei figured that her first step would be to disable the monster's pincers. When the insect was within range, and its pincers were open, Ashei thrust her blades into the inside wall of them, pushing them further apart. Though twice her size, Ashei was able to press against the pincers until they snapped, and began to dangle loosely. The creature screeched again, stunning Ashei momentarily. This allowed the beast to use its massive leg to swipe at her, tossing the young woman to the side several feet away.

Once she'd recovered, she saw that the beast had reached where Link had been, but he'd begun to move further away. He was still weak, and was not going to last much longer, so Ashei sprung back again. She leapt onto the back of the bug and thrust her blades deep into its exoskeleton. Thankfully, the blades penetrated deeply, and the monster reeled back. It tried to throw her off, but she wouldn't let go. She only moved the placement of her short sword so that she could continue to stab the monster.

After five or six more thrusts of her blade, the thing collapsed; then it dissipated in a black puff of smoke. As Ashei pulled herself off from the ground, she returned to Link. The young man had found a small corner to huddle in and wait. Ashei kneeled down next to him, checking up on his condition. Thankfully, the wound on his leg was superfluous, with the chainmail serving its purpose. His breathing, however, was still heavy, and he'd begun to sweat profusely. Ashei then removed her gloves and felt his forehead. To her dismay, Link also had a fever.

"Those gauntlets are almost more trouble than they're worth." Ashei remarked. Link tried to smile, but found it too difficult. He simply replied with sarcasm. "Maybe if I wasn't...carrying someone on my back...it wouldn't have been so bad."

"Oh, yeah? Well I suppose I _won't _wait for you to recover before saving the spirit from...whatever beast is sucking it dry."

"Not a good idea...we don't know exactly...what you'd be up against."

"How bad can it be compared to what I just tackled? Oh, and you're welcome, by the way."

"Promise me...you won't do it...without me."

Ashei sighed while rolling her eyes. "I _suppose_ the fate of the world can wait for you."

"For the better." Link responded. He knew Ashei was only kidding around with him, but he wanted to purge all doubt from his mind that she would do something foolish while he'd be resting. At that moment, Ashei took out his canteen and held it to his lips. He tried to drink it all, but Ashei pulled it away before that could happen. "You know better than to chug it all down at once."

Link tried to shrug his shoulders, but still couldn't find the strength in him to do so. Ashei then began to remove his gauntlets, but Link stopped her. "It might help...if I keep them on...in case it's just a matter...of getting used to them."

"Very well, but I'm going to have to remove _some_ of your clothes, otherwise your fever will take a turn for the worse, and the humidity of this cave isn't helping."

"Do what you must." Link submitted to Ashei's assistance. She began by taking his belts off, then his tunic and his chain shirt. Just to be safe, she removed his undershirt as well, doing her best not to stare, which Link didn't notice. "Tell me if you need anything else."

"This is fine." Link set his head back and closed his eyes. In less than a minute, he'd fallen asleep on the ground. Ashei cut away a few of the crystals surrounding him to cut back the light and whatever heat might possibly be emanating from them. She then sat a couple of feet away from him, passing the time by drawing in the dirt.

Occasionally, she'd look back at Link and smile.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

The sword etched another deep line into the soft earth. Ashei leaned back to admire her handiwork. She'd just finished drawing out a grand epic that spanned the entire ground. Her face broke out in a wide smile, impressed with the results. It did sadden her, though, that it would fade away, and the only person who knew of it would be her and maybe Link.

The young man had been recovering pretty quickly. The fever was gone, but he was still exhausted, and hadn't woken since his initial sleep. Otherwise, everything else was looking healthy.

Everything, except for his nightmares.

Though this wasn't the first time she'd noticed him having these nightmares, it _was_ the first time she'd been able to hear him. What she heard was disturbing, and made her own previous nightmares seem childish. The tormented look on his face, the constant calling of Ilia's name, and the way he shook and tried to act; it was as if he was possessed in his dreams. She found it rather puzzling, and difficult to believe that the only thing causing it was his desire for Ilia. Perhaps there was more to his wild theories of 'abominations' than she gave him credit for.

Still, she couldn't stand to see him like this, so she moved over to wake him, carefully stepping around her design. After three or so pokes, he finally woke up with eyes wide. Once he'd refocused, Link relaxed himself.

"Feeling better?" Ashei inquired.

"Sort of. I feel rested, but..." Link tried to gather his thoughts, but they still eluded him. Ashei tried to help. "Resting not as fun as it use to be, yeah?"

Link nodded. "Is it really that obvious?"

"You were tossing around like a rag doll." She approached him and felt his forehead once more. "I'm surprised you aren't sweating more than you already are."

"Probably a bit dehydrated." He tried to sit up, looking for his canteen. Ashei retrieved it from his satchel that she'd moved over beside him. He took another swig, slower this time. The feeling of the cool liquid streaming down his gullet was almost enough to revitalize him, but not quite. "Don't suppose you brought some food down here?"

"You left yours with the horses?" Ashei rolled her eyes, opening her own satchel and handing him some jerky. "I suppose I can part with some of mine."

"Didn't think we would be down here this long." Link answered her question, and bit vigorously into the meaty strip. As he looked around, his eyes were drawn to the ground. Immediately fascinated by the intriguing design, he looked back up to Ashei.

"Did you do this _all_ while I was sleeping?" Ashei nodded. "How long was I out for?"

The young woman looked up towards the ceiling. "Well, according to the position of the sun, I'd say..."

She let her sentence trail off, allowing Link to realize how idiotic a question he'd asked. "I get it: quite a while."

"Looks like your cognitive skills are catching up with the rest of you. Think you'll be able to move in a few minutes?"

"Just let me finish eating, and try warming up, and we'll see." He took another hearty chunk of meat into his mouth. "So what exactly _did _you draw?"

"It's...a portrait of my father." She hesitantly replied. Link squinted at the picture again, trying to see the whole thing. Once it came together he commented again. "It's very good, but he's only a portion of the design. What else is going on?"

"Well, I may have embellished his 'last stand'. I know he really didn't want to pass away as he did. He'd always hoped that he'd die fighting, so I drew him fending off against a pack of dynalfos." She started pointing out the different sections. "That one there was slashed early on and fell to the ground. This one is leaping at him, trying to attack from above, but you see dad's got his sword on him. This one, of course, is heading straight at him, but was rebuked by dad's shield. And this one..."

As Ashei continued on, she couldn't help but smile. She envisioned the etching coming to life, and watched the story play out as she designed it. She hadn't realized it, but a tear had formed and slowly streaked across her face. It wasn't until it reached the underside of her chin that she noticed it. As she paused to wipe it away, another began to form in her eyes, which she tried to remove as well. Link saw her start to lose composure, but she refused to give in. She would remain strong. After a brief pause, she finally turned back to Link. "Dad would appreciate what I'm doing now. He just never realized it when he was alive. I'm sure that if he's watching me now, he'd be proud."

Link smiled and nodded. "I'm sure he would be too."

Ashei returned the gesture. "Thanks, Link, for helping me when I needed it most."

"Think nothing of it. That's what friends do, right?"

"Yeah," Ashei replied, a hint of her smile faded. "That is what they do."

With the jerky finished, Link stood up. Rolling his neck and popping his knuckles, he took a second look at his gauntlets. The gems were still running rampant with untapped strength, but he had a feeling that he was more attuned to it now. As he proceeded to put on his clothes and equipment, Ashei moved over to the far wall where she'd spotted a hidden door earlier. Once Link was fully dressed, he followed her through the door.

It was a long corridor which lead to a peculiar door. There was no lock nor visible sign that would allow it to be opened, and it was covered with more runes. Link put on the Mask of Truth, but to his surprise, there were no markings to add to the design. He did, however, notice a brightly glowing orb at the top of the door, though its purpose was lost on him. By that time, however, Ashei had already translated the figures on the door. "It's another riddle. 'The strength of one is grand and vast, but it will not save you. For if you wish-this door-to pass, it surely will take two.' I don't know about you, but these are really getting on my nerves."

"At least it plainly stated that we needed two this ti-" Link realized that Ashei had never pulled out their translating book. "Did you try to go through without me?"

"Well, how was I supposed to know what we'd be facing if I didn't at least take a look? I _was_ going to keep my promise, of course."

"Of course." Link replied sarcastically. He thought he'd be angry, or at least disappointed with her. Instead, he found himself only slightly annoyed that she was thinking ahead. He then returned his focus to the puzzle at hand. "I suppose it has something to do with this glowing orb I see with the mask."

"Anything I should know about it?" Ashei asked, to which Link replied slyly, "It glows."

As he got closer to the door, he could see that it was a switch of sorts. Climbing up the dirt walls, he was able to reach it with ease, but that couldn't possibly be all to this puzzle, as this clearly only required one person to touch the switch. Still, he decided to pull it.

From Ashei's point of view, Link's hand had disappeared inside the door itself, which startled her slightly. She then heard a faint click, followed by a mild hum, which quickly died afterwards. Link pulled his hand out from the door, dismayed with the results. "There must be another hidden switch like this somewhere else."

He turned his attention back down the corridor they came through. Far in the distance, he could see another glowing orb. As he dropped to the ground to approach it, he noted with satisfaction that he didn't feel tired or worn in the least. It seemed he'd acclimated to the gauntlets quite well.

The second glowing orb was hidden in the dirt wall next to the door. It was at chest level, so no climbing would be involved for this switch. He then called back to Ashei. "I've got it now!"

Ashei hurried to his side, at which point Link handed her the mask. "Use this to locate the switch. When I say 'now,' pull the switch. This is an easy puzzle."

Ashei complied, putting on the mask, and prepping herself to pull the switch the moment he called for it. Link returned to the first one, climbing the wall again while trying to remember where the hole in the door was. Once he found it, he gave the signal, and the two of them pulled the switches together.

Almost immediately, the large door began to slide open. Ashei rushed back up to it to see what was inside. Gazing inside gave no clues, as it was pitch black, but the two could hear the faint noise which was familiar to Link. That similar sucking sound let Link know that they were at the end of the cave, so he stepped inside while drawing his weapons.

As soon as Ashei followed suit, the door behind them slammed shut. There was no where else to go but forward.

Once their eyes adjusted, the picture quickly came to form. Another creature, ethereal and in the shape of a snake, was head first in a pond sucking the power of a different small creature, which was obviously the spirit of light. Since the monster was similar to that of the first one Link had faced, he hoped that all he'd need would be his sword and shield. As he slowly approached the beast, he gave instructions to Ashei. "That thing can't be hurt while in that ghastly form. Wait for me to get him to switch, then attack."

It took Ashei a second to respond, having never encountered a monstrosity of such size, she felt a bit overwhelmed at first. Once she regained control of her senses, she complied. "Very well."

First, Link would have to get the monster's attention. He did this by slapping his blade against his shield to make some noise. The creature heard it quite well, and turned to face the intruders. Seeing Link so close, it hissed at him, flicking its ethereal tongue at him. As predicted, the creature then proceeded to launch a beam of dark energy at him. Link braced himself for the impact. Thanks to the gauntlets, it was hardly necessary, as he was quite capable of fend the beam thrown at him with ease.

As the shield absorbed more and more of the dark energy, converting it to light, Link shone it directly into the beast's face. The creature ceased all actions, stunned in place, and began to glow. After about three seconds, it switched to a physical form. To Link's surprise, however, the snake quickly recovered, and speedily retreated to the ceiling. As it did so, another change occurred. A magical suit of armor covered the snake from head to tail. What more, it refused to get down to Link's level.

Then it started hurling venom down at its target. Link retreated back towards the entrance, dodging the blasts in the process. Ashei joined him there with more questions. "This what happened the first time?"

"No. Either these creatures learn from us or..." He suddenly remembered what else he saw that last encounter: his dark self. If that entity had joined with this beast again, it was possible that it was learning just as he was. Now prepared with new defenses, it looked like reaching the creature would be impossible. There was only one possible weakness to consider: the little niches between the plates of armor. If he could reach up there, he could possibly pry them off.

Link then started mumbling to himself. "Clawshots too short. Climbing too slow and not dexterous enough. Bomb arrows...I'd break the bowstring before getting the distance I need. Can't get it to fall on its own..."

"Throw me up there." Ashei interrupted, after evading another venomous strike. Link turned to her to see her adjusting her gloves, tightening them for grip strength. "I can latch onto him and cut the armor off. Keep him busy here and he might not even notice I'm there."

"I'm not sure I can throw you up there safely. I still haven't gauged my strength with these." Link was hesitant to do something so rash with his friend now directly involved with his actions. She gazed into his eyes and replied, "I trust you, Link."

The young man reluctantly nodded. "We'll wait until after his next spray. After that, you jump into my hands, and I'll throw you up. Be careful not to spin as you go."

"Got it."

As planned, another spray of venom came down, which the hylians dodged. Immediately afterwards, Link calculated where to throw Ashei and positioned himself to do so. The young woman dashed towards him and leapt into his linked hands. Link lifted her up, launching her high.

Ashei barely made it, grabbing hold of the last plate of armor on the creature's tail, and wrapping her legs around it. She felt a sudden rush of blood to her head, which almost made her too woozy to hold on, but after a couple of seconds, she started to get the hang of the way the beast slithered along the ceiling. She took a look under the plate to see some tendrils from the beast that held the armor in place. Though Ashei could have begun prying the plates off near the tail, she had greater ambitions, and slowly climbed to the front of the creature.

"What are you doing?!" Link called out to her, but either she refused to reply or could not hear him. She just kept climbing towards the head of the beast. Link so wanted to get where she was, but knew he couldn't. He then refocused on the beast itself.

The monster had finally decided to try something possibly more effective. It started by approaching some crystals . Using its head, it ripped a crystal off the ceiling and tossed it at its prey. Link naturally dodged it, jumping to the side...right into another spray of venom. Thankfully, he was quick enough to raise his shield, but at the expense of catching his fall.

Link slammed into the ground hard, just as another crystal was hurled in his direction. It seemed that the monster had found its stride. Link tried to roll out of the way, but was a little bit too slow. The crystal landed on his left arm. Thankfully, it only led to some heavy bruising, but had the object landed on his head, he would most likely have been done for. Though he was finally able to get himself up, he was unable to use his arm. With that in mind, he dropped his sword, using only his shield to keep the beast busy.

Ashei was almost at the snake's head, but was unable to get to the top since it was constantly moving to throw crystals at Link. She was going to have to be satisfied with where she was. Pulling out her short sword, she sliced off the small tendrils. Each time she did, however, the beast would hiss loudly, and slither around the ceiling as fast as it could, trying to shake her off. Ashei held on for her life, refusing to let go.

Link knew he had to help. Using his one good arm, he pulled out what few bombs he had on hand, and threw them at the beast, careful to ensure they were not near Ashei. Though the bombs did not show any signs of harming the creature it did grab its attention, which caused it to go back to its old strategy of crystals and venom.

The monster seemed to have difficulty finding more crystals along the ceiling, which gave Ashei enough time to finally reach the creature's head. The vast plate was held down by several extra tendrils which were stronger than the others. Without hesitation, Ashei cut off each and every one of them. An unexpected shriek came from the beast, as it violently shook its head to throw her off. Though she had been holding on quite strong, it was too much this time, and she started to fall.

Link saw her falling and instantly ran to catch her. Despite the pain in his left arm, he raised both hands to grab her. She landed soundly in his arms, but was quickly dropped when the pain became unbearable for Link.

The monster was still shrieking, and running about. The hylians soon noticed that its head was now glowing a hue of crimson, an obvious weak point. Ashei began firing her bow at it. Link took his last bomb, aimed carefully, and hurled it square onto the mark. That sent the creature falling to the ground.

The snake hit with a loud thud. With such a paralyzing blow, Ashei was quick to charge the beast, slashing at the crimson marker, which upon closer inspection, resembled a parasite of sorts. With several well placed slashes, Ashei annihilated it, and the beast imploded on itself just as the one before. Link watched on, waiting to see if his shadow would appear.

Just as before, when the smoke cleared, the dark figure appeared. With eyes as slits, it gazed into Link's soul, giving him a brief shiver. It was clearly angered by his actions, seeming to ignore Ashei and her involvement entirely, focused solely on his opposite. They sized each other up in silence for several more seconds, but then the shadow raced in for the kill.

Though not exhausted as before, his sword arm was still crippled. Using only his shield, he parried away the blade of his darkness. The entity countered with a shield bash of own, knocking the hylian to the ground several feet away. Link rolled away from the next blow, tossing a random rock at the foe to see if he could slow him down. To his dismay, it did not work.

The shadow closed the distance and prepared another lunge. This time, Link simply blocked, keeping his shield close to himself for the inevitable second strike. The shadow was quick, and attempted to slice Link's feet off, but the hero leapt over the swipe, and shoved his shield square in the shadow's chest. With the additional force from his gauntlets, Link was able to launch the entity all the way back next to the lake. It was at that moment that the spirit within revealed its splendor with its light, sending the shadow far away once again.

Once the massive rays rescinded, Link could see the spirit took the form of a bear. Just as Ashei had returned to Link's side, the spirit spoke. "Hero of Hyrule, know that I am in your debt for banishing the corrupted beast. I sense that two of my brethren are still captive to the abomination's minions."

"Damn! Such a gorgeous visage of light!" Ashei commented in awe of the light spirit. Link, however, was too busy to listen, as he had questions to ask. "Was this temple constructed for you?"

"Nay, hero. This was once the silidian temple built for the goddess Din."

"What happened to it?"

The spirit looked as if to take a deep breath before responding. "Before their rebellion, the silidians sought to grow closer to the goddesses through such temples. They gave up offerings here, which the goddesses accepted wordlessly. Yet, it was not enough for the silidians, for they wished to be more like the goddesses. But it is not for the goddesses to intermingle with their creations in such a manner, and they did not respond to the silidians' desires.

"When the goddesses did finally intervene, during the civil war, their rage was so profound, that the earth opened up and engulfed them all."

"I still don't understand." Link continued. "Why are _you _here? Are all the spirits underground?"

"In order to ensure that the abomination would not be resurrected, we the light spirits of Silidan, sought to guard the four corners of the earth which holds the abomination underneath."

"Wait, so all of Link's ramblings about 'abominations' _were_ true?" Ashei interjected, still shocked by the revelation.

"It is so, and we held our place here, doing our best to hold the abomination at bay. However, to our shame, we were unable to guide the land as we should have, and were unable to prevent the coming of the wizzrobes. This was our failing."

The spirit seemingly hung its head low. "Hero of Hyrule, you must venture forth to the Grand Crater and save the next spirit of light. You _must_ mend the land that we so foolishly neglected before."

The spirit then began to fade away. Ashei, still confused, didn't understand why. "Now where's he going?"

"To recover its strength." Link remarked, picking up his sword which he'd discarded earlier. Then it suddenly hit him. With his arm crippled, he knew they couldn't climb back up the way they came and return to the surface. He rushed back to the pool the spirit disappeared from. "Spirit! Before you go, can you send us back to the surface?!"

"It shall be done." The disembodied voice of the spirit answered. With another ray of light, the two hylians were immediately returned to their horses.

The first thing they both heard was the excited barking of Harmless, and the first thing Link _felt_ was being pushed back to the ground by it. Harmless quickly began to lick his companion's face as fast as it could. Ashei had fallen to the ground as well, due to the force of her own laughter. It wasn't long though, before the canine had switched targets and pounced on the young woman as well. Despite her previous dislike of the mutt, she couldn't stop laughing even now. Something had come over her, and she was enjoying every moment of it.

Once the two had been allowed to stand back up, they approached there horses, caressing their manes before they planned to leave.

"One question, before we go." Ashei began. Link perked his ears to hear it. "What were you doing just before the spirit showed up?"

It finally dawned on Link that Ashei could not see his darker half. With a smile he replied. "Just dealing with an invisible opponent. Was going to call for you, but the spirit killed it before I had the chance."

Ashei nodded, but Link couldn't quite tell if she believed him. He'd considered telling her the truth, but decided that it was best to keep it to himself. She couldn't see it, and that meant it was only meant for him to face.

_It's my darkness, and I'll have to face it alone_, he thought.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Once the two hylians cracked their hollow oocca eggs, they appeared inside of a large tent surrounded by a sum of empty weapon racks. Considering their position, they assumed they'd rejoined their allies while they were in the middle of combat. Walking outside (with horses behind them), they saw that they were in a makeshift camp, and that only a handful of guards were still on site. Off in the distance, they could see a large castle in the plains, and the faint sounds of battle could be heard.

Spotting the largest tent with the Maukro House banner several yards away, the two strolled over to see what was the situation, leaving their horses just outside. Inside were the familiar figures of Master Gilbert and Lady Sil hunched over a table with a map on it. Harmless gave a yelp to make their presence known, which made Gilbert immediately rush over to them in welcome. "Glad to see you here, my friends. How did everything go with the spir-...Link do you need some medical assistance?"

Reminded of his injured arm, he took a quick glance at it before refocusing on the question given. "Oh, this? Doubt it's nothing a healing potion can't fix."

Gilbert nodded while motioning for one of the guards inside to rush off to the medical supplies, all the while he pulled up seats for his friends. Ashei took this moment to inquire of the situation. "Are the others attacking that castle we saw back there?"

Gilbert nodded his head again. "Yes, they've been fighting within House Widzan's castle for the last hour or so. If we're lucky, it will be over quite soon."

"Luck hasn't exactly been on our side since you left, however." Lady Sil replied on the side. With his curiosity perked, Link pressed her further. "Why? What's happened since then?"

Lady Sil, still studying her maps, replied causally. "Your friend, Rusl I believe, made it impossible for us to resupply at House Sekun's castle, and made us unfavorable in the eyes of the commonfolk."

Link and Ashei looked at each other, immediately recalling the night the three had spent in the woods when Rusl had lost his cool. They realized that his condition had grown much worse than either of them had anticipated. Link then turned back to Sil with a second question. "Where is Rusl now?"

"Not sure, but your other friend, Shad I think, is with him."

Link pardoned himself from the others to go look for him, accidently ramming into the guard sent out earlier to get him a healing potion. He graciously accepted it and walked off, looking for Rusl. He looked all around the camp for several minutes, unable to find him. It wasn't until Link left it up to Harmless that he was able to find Rusl; close to a mile away and sitting against a tree with Shad. Rusl's head was hanging low, while Shad seemed to be reading him a book aloud.

Neither of his friends noticed his approach, which led Harmless to partaking in its favorite greeting; starting with Rusl. The startling barrage of licks at his face almost made him jump into the air, and easily tore Shad away from the book he was reading. When Shad saw Link standing there, he immediately got up to greet him as well. "It's great to see you back, Link."

"Thanks," Link replied while pulling Harmless off of Rusl. "Though I hear that you guys ran into some trouble earlier."

"Oh, the octoroks weren't that difficult despite the swa-...Oh!" Realizing Link's implication, he shut himself up.

Rusl knew quickly what Link wanted to know, so he did not bother hiding the truth. "Link...I'm afraid I'm no use here anymore."

His bleak response was a shock to his younger friend. "Why?"

"Because I'm going insane." He took a deep breath before elaborating. "I'm...seeing things that aren't there and I somehow convinced myself that they are. And I'm now a cold-blooded killer."

Rusl then went silent, so Link turned to Shad for answers. "Rusl accidently killed a soldier whom he thought had killed Uli."

Link turned back to Rusl. "You regret it though, don't you?"

He nodded slightly. "Only because he wasn't the one. Had it actually been the man that murdered my wife...I'd do the same thing again."

Link was at a loss for words. Of all the people he could have expected this to happen to, Rusl was the last. Not even that night he'd become angry could have prepared him for what he heard. It shook him to his core that this 'abomination' was so powerful that it had turned a man he'd known as a mentor and surrogate older brother into something else. It made him begin pondering his own situation. What would happen if he began seeing his own nightmares as reality? How long would it take before that happened?

The hylian shook the thoughts from his mind, remembering that it had not yet come to pass for him, while it had for Rusl. He needed to be there for him now, just as he was for Ashei in her time of need. As he gathered his thoughts for a proper response, he took a seat next to Rusl, trying to look into his eyes.

"Rusl...these people, they aren't the real monsters here. They've lost touch with the goddesses AND the light spirits. They've become so desensitized to what right and wrong is that they don't even recognize them. We can't just kill them because they lost th-"

"Spare me that garbage!" Rusl uttered through gritted teeth. "You can't honestly tell me that they aren't willingly doing all these vile things and enjoying it themselves! You didn't see the emperor and how ready he was to kill us on a whim!"

"But I _did_ see the way they treated the buko, and I _did_ see the slave trading in the streets of Denalet, and I _did_ see the destruction of Ordona. You'll remember I was there first."

"And the only reason you aren't feeling the same as I is because you _know_ Ilia is alive, maybe not where she is and how she feels at the moment, but you have that glimmer of hope. I have nothing left! My family was _all_ slaughtered, and all to appease a sadistic bastard!"

Though Link now knew the fate of Ilia, he felt it was irrelevant to the actual issue at hand. Rusl was boiling again, and he didn't think a frying pan to the face would solve anything this time around. "Rusl, you don't understand. I've _also_ seen the darkness that plagues this land. It is not as black and white as you make it out to be. These people have been under its influence for so long that they don't even realize it anymore.

"But the influence is starting to break. You saw it at the Mendille castle. They hated us one moment, and begged our forgiveness the next. And the relief in their faces, you must have noticed! They just need to remember their past, and they will regain their goodness."

"Humph! _Maybe_ the majority of the people here have lost their way, but you can't possibly make me believe that _anyone_ who has no second-thoughts about razing a village would even be _willing_ to change."

"How do you know they didn't?" It was a rhetorical question, and off focus, so Link switched to a different line of thought. "I know we've been forced to kill in this war. I never thought I'd have to kill humans, but it is sometimes out of necessity that we do so. But what you are suggesting is wrong even by our own standards and laws."

"But it's justified! He killed my family so I should kill him! If you ask me, that's more than fair! I could easily take more and be justified!"

That was it for Link. He stood up just so he could look down on Rusl. "Will you listen to yourself?! Have you lost your own humanity as well?!"

Rusl stood up as well, not being in the mood to be talked down to. "You dare to call me out as one of them?! All I want is justice! It's rightfully mine to have, and to take! And if I ever learn who the man was, I swear by the goddesses above I will have it!"

Link was again unable to answer. He couldn't help but wonder how this could ever happen to his friend. Realizing that he'd made Link speechless, Rusl sat back down under the tree. "Don't you _ever _mistake me for one of them. I'm nothing like _those_ humans."

_Those humans_, Link thought. He felt that he had an answer to his qualms, but he couldn't yet put his finger on it. What was he forgetting? It was lucky that Harmless once again drew his attention to the answer, as it began teething at Link's shield. It was still on his back and covered in its own sheath; designed so it would not startle everyone behind him. It quickly dawned on him that though Lord Aric was a kindly and compassionate man, he still had a reflection in the mirror that horrified him, until he asked forgiveness. Perhaps...

Link pulled the Mirror Shield from its cover and dropped it in front of Rusl. "Do the goddesses see the distinction?"

Rusl did not look at first, but once he did, he could not look away. Almost immediately, his face went from red to pale. The expression on his face shifted from one of anger to that of utter terror. He looked as if he wanted to cry out, but was unable. Beads of sweat broke out, and his eyes had gone so wide they looked as though they would pop out.

Finally, he could take it no more. He covered his eyes with his arms and screamed. "Take it away! I can't bare to look at it anymore!"

"Taking it away won't change what you see." Link reminded him.

He took a couple more seconds before finally giving in. "Forgive me! I didn't know! I'm sorry!"

Link knelt back down and put his hand on his shoulder. "Of course, I forgive you."

He still left the shield at Rusl's feet, knowing he could look at it again without seeing the horrifying portrait. When Rusl finally did, he was relieved to see that it was true, though he couldn't help but feel that it might somehow change back on a whim. He then turned to Link, broken and humiliated. "What's happened to me?"

"You've been reunited with your kin...and the reception was overwhelming." He tried to inject some humor, but quickly regretted it. "Look...you may not be like them, living within hylian regime and all, but that doesn't change your ancestry, and I think that makes you a little more susceptible to the 'abomination's' persuasion."

He suddenly realized that Rusl had begun crying, though he did his best to hold it in. When he spoke, it was broken with sobs. "I know...that I was wrong but...I don't _feel_ like I am. What's to stop me from going insane again even if I _do_ meet the man?"

Link shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe all you'll need is a friendly reminder. I mean, you're not the only one battling these feelings. I think most of us are still reeling from one issue or another. We'll keep each other in check."

He looked Rusl in the eyes again for added measure. "You've helped me in times of trouble, and will continue to do so. In return, we'll all help you cope. I'm sure Shad has at least _tried_ to help you out, right?"

"Actually made the _same_ arguments you have." Shad interjected. "If I were in possession of your shield-"

"You're right." Rusl interrupted, though unintentionally. He made up for it by addressing him. "I'm sorry Shad. I must have been very difficult to deal with, and you did everything you were supposed to and more."

"I appreciate it, of course, though I do feel rather undermined when our 'hero' can do the exact same thing and gets the results."

Finally, after eight straight days, Shad got Rusl to laugh again. Though not the victory he was hoping for, he was more than happy to take it.

As soon as the three stood back up, they slowly returned to the camp, while Harmless pranced around them the entire way. Ashei was outside the main tent, watching the castle through a spyglass. When she heard the chuckling of her friends behind her, she turned to speak with them. "I suppose Link fixed whatever problem you were heaving, yeah?"

"Yeah." Rusl replied, his demeanor finally returning to normal. "Well, not so much him as that shield, but I guess so."

"Of course. The magical item he finds lying on the floor in a forgotten place did it. Saw the same thing at the faults." She turned to face Link. "Makes me wonder how 'heroic' you'd be without them."

"Still a stronger warrior than you." Link remarked, specifically to rile her up.

"You may have beaten me in that last training session, but I also recall seeing the two lizard-creatures I was fighting hit the ground before yours did."

"That's because mine were taller."

"So Ashei beat you in a monster-slaying contest?" Rusl asked doing his best to fan the flames.

"We weren't having a con-"

"I also saved his life from a giant insect-beast." Ashei interrupted.

"Did you now?" Shad incited.

"That was only because I was worn out from these gauntlets." Link showed them off to the others.

"Didn't even offer me to try them on." Ashei spoke in faux disappointment. "So uncivil of him."

"Coming from the 'banshee of the north,' that's saying something." Shad mocked her. He quickly regretted it when she slapped the back of his head. "You're supposed to do that with the gloves _off_."

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I'll try not to remember that next time."

They continued to banter for several minutes, which was a great relief to Link. It certainly raised Rusl's spirits greatly, and seeing that was enough to please him as well. Eventually Lady Sil came out of the tent telling them that the trumpet had sounded in the castle, signifying that it had finally been claimed. With no other plans to stay, the comrades grabbed their horses and galloped out to the castle.

The gate was open, and it was to their surprise that the soldiers guarding it were unharmed, and had willingly surrendered. Link was the first to ask, "Was this all part of the plan?"

"Not exactly," Shad explained as they continued riding through the city. "Originally the plan was for Lord Aric's advisor to get inside before hand and bring down the gate himself."

"Oh, so you finally met Mandrakos?"

"The advisor? Yes." Shad replied without a hint of emotion, which puzzled Link. "So did you bother to ask him how he could write a book two hundred years ago and still be alive today?"

"Of course not why would I...you mean that he's THAT Mandrakos Fears?"

"Know anybody else by that name?" Ashei rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I didn't realize it, though I should have. I should find him right now." He hurriedly went ahead of the others to find Mandrakos. He was too focused to hear Ashei cry out behind him, "Ask him to sing your song!"

"So..." Link tried to steer back to the original question. "Why didn't that plan work?"

"Apparently," Ashei explained. "The castle was sealed up tight before they even got here. Couldn't even get him inside."

"So how _did_ we get inside? Did it have something to do with those guards?"

"I don't know. As Lady Sil put it, Auru said that he would take care of it, and that the soldiers should be prepared to charge once he gave the signal. When he did, they raced down and the gates were already opened."

"That doesn't sound like something Auru is capable of pulling off."

"Well ask him yourself, he's right over there." Rusl pointed ahead of them, seeing them reach the town square. Auru was there with Lord Aric, Mandrakos, Evanith, and Shad. Lord Aric was preparing to make a speech similar to his first one in Mendille. When he saw Link approaching, carrying his shield, he sprinted to him again, and practically begged Link to allow him the use of his shield, to which the hylian gladly allowed.

The speech was about the same as the other as well, though the crowd's reaction was not as harsh. Even as Aric revealed the shield, the effect didn't seem to be as impressive to them, despite it still having a powerful effect. So powerful, in fact, that among those that asked forgiveness of the hylians, Link was able to notice that a couple of them were the knights they had gambled with at the tournament. They'd seemingly forgotten all the things they had said and done before.

Once the commonfolk began to disperse, Link turned to Auru, hoping he could explain how they'd captured the castle. Unfortunately, he'd seemingly disappeared in the crowd. Before he could search for him, Shad called for his attention.

"They're going to have another celebration like the first one. You want to actually participate this time?"

Link thought about it briefly. He supposed he could find Auru another time, and he _was_ in the mood to celebrate. Relieving himself of his burdens, he replied, "Sure. Why not?"


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

_"He loved a woman," let us say,  
And on that sacred spot,  
To woman's love, that live for aye,  
We'll strew forget-me-not_.

The solemn crowd, heads bowed lowly, listened as Mandrakos closed his poem and moved away from the center of the graveyard. Taking his cue, Lord Aric moved up to speak to the crowd. "I say to you with sincerity, that it is shameful of us that we were only able to resolve our differences with violence. If we were only a wiser and calmer folk, we could have withheld this bloodshed. I...despise myself that such actions are a necessary evil in a land of darkness. But while we must never forget those we have lost, we must also look ahead."

Lord Aric pointed to the west. "The sun sets, and this day ends. A new day will rise, but the old one will not. There are none who can change the cycle. We must remember that while we can lose friends and loved ones, we can just as easily _make new_ friends and loved ones. And they will not replace the old memories, but will create new ones for years to come."

The tall noble began his saunter away from the crowd. "We will continue to mourn for another hour, but then the new life celebration will begin."

Several people from the audience disbanded, slowly walking back to their homes.

Most stayed for quite awhile, weeping the loss of those that had died both defending and assaulting the castle. While some would call the hosting of such a ceremony an incredibly wise tactical maneuver, it came straight from the heart of Aric. He truly cared about all people from Silidan, but he was also taught the meaning of sacrifice, and the necessities of the many over the few. It never made it easy for him, but he was strong, and refused to let himself become distraught, though it was more due to the help of many faithful retainers that kept him sane. Link surmised that were they not there for him, he'd of likely succumbed to the abomination's influence quite rapidly.

Having not known any of those that had died, Link decided it was time for him to move on as well. Behind him, he could hear the strumming of a lute, no doubt Mandrakos'. The tune on his lute was sad, and did not sound as if words belonged to it. He turned to face the musician, who strolled slightly faster in order to get next to him. The taller man smiled at him and spoke, "You did well, today."

He was referring to Link's work back at the Crystal Faults. The hylian returned the gesture, but kept on walking. As he made his way back to the city square, his disposition darkened slightly. "I feel terrible that I can't sympathize over those that died as well as Lord Aric has."

Mandrakos chuckled slightly. "But you do care. I'm sure that's enough to save your soul. I mean, you're already helping to save the world as divinely ordained, but the fact that you care a tiny little bit for people is what will put you in good with the afterlife."

They both laughed lightly, but it quickly prompted a new question. "What do you suppose the afterlife is like?"

The jester eyed his friend. "What makes you think I would know anything about it?"

"I didn't...but now that you are evading the question, I suppose you have at least some idea, right?"

Mandrakos sighed before speaking. "Well, I don't actually know, as my own fate is different from that of most normal mortals. Surely, the goddesses will reward the truly faithful when their time comes."

"And what of these people?" Link pointed back to the graves. "These people fought against us, and weren't given an opportunity to remove their curse. Most of them probably only despised the goddesses due to years of manipulation from the empire's culture and the abomination. What will happen to them?"

A strange look streaked Mandrakos' face for a second. When he went back normal, he tried to elaborate. "The goddesses didn't leave us much information. Just as the truly faithful, I'd expect the truly defiant would be rewarded properly. But those who aren't...that's a difficult subject. But think of this: were it truly something worthy of note, then I'm sure the goddesses would have made it a lot more clear. They didn't, so it makes sense to believe that they are a lot more understanding than most of their creations would give credit for."

"I suppose." Link cycled through what was said, taking it all into consideration. He did his best to keep a positive outlook. Surely the goddesses were better knowing than he could be.

"Relax, Link!" Mandrakos patted him on the back with a wide grin. "You ask so many questions, but truth be told, you're a bit dense."

"Pardon?"

"Y'see? Exactly. Link, you're a worrier. If that isn't proof that you care for others, I don't know what is."

"Is that even rel-" It was by happenstance that he saw Auru walk by, seemingly preoccupied with a large piece of paper. It reminded him that he'd yet to speak to him, so he took off to get next to him. Mandrakos paid no heed, and continued strolling towards the center of town.

"Auru, do you have a moment when I can speak to you?"

The older hylian looked up to see his younger friend approach. A smile came to his lips as he replied. "Of course I have time. What did you have in mind?"

"A lot of people are wondering just how you knew the gates would be open when you told the soldiers to charge the castle."

The smile faded from the elder, but he respected his friend enough to answer. "Well, I may have called on someone to do the job herself."

"Herself?...Zelda?!"

Auru hushed him slightly before guiding him to a more secluded part of the city. "As a matter of fact, yes."

"How? And why didn't you tell us until now?"

"Perhaps I should allow her to explain it." Auru closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate. "I ask that you speak with Link."

Immediately, a faded image of Zelda appeared next to them. She looked directly at the hero with her piercing eyes. She nodded respectfully and addressed him. "Link."

"Zelda." He bowed in return. He noticed Auru didn't seem to react to her presence. Presumably, she could only appear before one person, and that was how Auru could talk to their queen without anyone noticing. "Why weren't we told Auru was in direct contact with you?"

"This was not meant as deception for you and your companions. Auru is one of my most trusted advisors, and I've always conferred with him in private. As for not telling Lord Aric yet, it was more to reinforce the illusion that you were working alone in the matter. Certainly you remember that Hyrule cannot become directly involved so long as the Emperor still rules."

Link recalled when they started their journey the conversation they'd had. With Ordona only being a province to Hyrule, it meant that the crown could not actively react as desired. Clearly Zelda wasn't letting that stop her as she continued to explain. "Should it have become well known that I was directly engaged with the war effort while it was still in its infancy, the Diamond would have mobilized quickly to destroy Hyrule, and we would be highly outmatched."

"But they don't know about the Shadow Invasion, so they wouldn't know that we are vulnerable at this moment." Link observed.

"It matters little. They will not be traveling through the woods as we originally expected." Zelda commented. Before Link could ask why, she detailed the situation. "A number of buko from Clifftown have reported that the Silidian Empire has been constructing ships that can fly through the air. They plan to load them with troops and evade the forest altogether."

Link thought back to the City in the Sky, and was reminded that such flying machines were possible. "So why haven't we attacked their base at Clifftown yet?"

"It's not that simple." Auru interrupted. "The only way to reach Clifftown is to use the elevator system they have. There are also rumors that there's a teleportation system inside of the Diamond that allows for instant transportation as well, but of course, only they could use that. We would be at a great disadvantage."

"I've been working on a solution to the issue, but have yet to come up with any viable options." Zelda took over. Apparently she could hear the others around her, though others can't see her. "I do have a lead, but assuming it works, it will require the air fleet to already be in motion. As such, the war effort should focus on what it knows it can handle."

Link nodded his head. He knew that if you couldn't solve a problem at the moment, a solution would become apparent later. "Well, thanks for letting me know."

Zelda nodded back just as Link began to leave. He then suddenly froze in his tracks and returned his gaze towards his queen. "Oh, wait I forgot to ask the question I originally came here for!"

"And that is?" Zelda inquired.

"How did you get the gate to open?"

Zelda stifled a laugh before she answered his question. "I asked the guards politely."

"Excuse me?" Link eyes widened.

"It wasn't anything special," She kept smiling. "I just spoke to him and _convinced_ him that if he opened the gate, he won't be harmed in the battle."

"So...how was that not the same as-"

"Link, I thought this through more than you have. I _could _go over every detail on how I was able to do it without any worry of being discovered by the Empire, but it's long and tedious. Just trust me on this. You always have before."

"I'm sorry." Link bowed his head as an apology. For some reason, he heard the words of Mandrakos ringing back in his ears; telling him that he asks too many question. Perhaps there was a time for him to ask, and a time for him to be quiet. "I'm just really curious about these things. But if you say you so, I'll just take your word for it."

"And I apologize for not telling you earlier." Zelda nodded in response. "Now, please just relax. I understand your allies will be celebrating your victory. You should take some time off before continuing on towards your goal of saving the spirits."

Link briefly felt the urge to ask her how she knew, but realized how idiotic it would have been to start asking questions again, especially considering she most likely heard from Auru. "Right. Sorry for taking up your time again."

"There's no need to apologize." Zelda held back a chuckle, knowing he meant everything in good nature. "I hope to see you all return soon when this ordeal is over."

She then began to disappear away from sight. Link turned to face Auru. The older hylian smiled at him and began walking back to the main square. "You've been working hard, Link. But tonight will be different. Take a load off your shoulders, and enjoy the party."

Link nodded as he followed in step next to him. With nothing else to do, he decided to help set up for the celebration.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

"Captured." Shad took out her last castle on e7 with his queen. "Really, Ashei. You've got to stop handing me all of your pieces."

"You should be more worried about yourself, yeah?" Ashei put out bluntly. The festivities had been going on for a couple of hours and the two friends were engaged in a deep game of chess. She countered by maneuvering her own queen up to h5, capturing a lowly pawn.

"Ha!" Shad commented, seeing such a petty piece lost as a mere inconvenience. "Not likely. I'm just surprised that you even asked to play in the first place. With all the other activities people are engaged in, I'd have thought you would be arm wrestling some of the men here."

"Actually, I _was. _Unfortunately, once the larger men started showing up, there was no point in staying. I may be strong, but a woman at her best will never be able to surpass a man at _his_ best."

Shad advanced a pawn to f6, giving horizontal access to his queen. "I'm surprised you're giving up so quickly."

"Who said anything about giving up? There's more to a warrior's prowess than just physical strength. In fact, since I've been fighting with Link more, I've begun considering the development of a new style of fighting for myself." Ashei continued her strategy by having her queen take another pawn on g6. "Check."

"Really? Has Link been giving you lessons on the side?" He placed his queen between the two pieces at g7.

"Not directly. I just noticed a few things about how he fights and plan to apply it to myself." She inched her queen towards h7, putting the king back into check. "I plan to turn my opponent's strengths into weaknesses."

"Interesting..." Shad suddenly became more involved with his game at that moment. He decided to capture the queen, knowing he would still lose his immediately afterwards. "And how will you do that?"

"Watch and learn." Ashei had a devilish grin on her face as she captured Shad's queen with her light-squared bishop from b1, placing him in check once again. Since she was guarding that position with her last knight on g5, his only viable option was to retreat to the corner of h8. She took the opportunity to move her knight up to e6, capturing Shad's last knight while attacking his final castle. Shad chose to move his castle to g8, but that was a mistake. Ashei countered by moving her dark-squared bishop from b2 to f6, capturing the pawn he'd moved earlier and placing him in checkmate.

"How did this...?" Shad tried to recount his moves and see what she did. Ashei, while relaxing in the glow of her first victory, kindly explained. "You love a good game of defense, but can't resist a better trade. That and you also panicked at the end; you should've kept your castle on the king's bishop's line."

She stood up from the table, tapping him on his shoulders. "Better luck next time, yeah?"

Shad was petrified in abhorrent disbelief.

Ashei strolled through the city square, watching the fireworks in the sky and listening to the lively music. She was quite satisfied with herself, having finally defeated Shad at his own game. She would _never_ let him live it down. Things were really beginning to look up for her, and she greatly appreciated the change in her luck.

Well, it might not have been luck, she considered. Perhaps her recent experiences has made her grow as a person. She recalled how her father fondly gave the reason for the many hardships she went through as a child. "It helps build character," he would say. Perhaps he was more right than he knew. Still, Ashei reminded herself that she did not endure it all on her own. All her friends, and Link especially, had assisted her in overcoming her feelings of guilt.

It suddenly made her wonder where Link was at the moment. She began looking through the crowd in hopes of finding him. Instead, _she_ was found by a gaggle of girls. One of them greeted her loudly. "Hi Ashei!"

She turned to face the girl and immediately recognized her. "Oh, hi...Mizu, yeah?"

"Yeah!" The girl smiled brightly. "I like your clothes!"

"What, this?" She looked at herself, despite the fact that she knew exactly what she was wearing: a plain blue tunic and dark pants. "It's nothing special. Just some simple street clothes."

"Oh, you're just being modest!"

"No, _really_. That's all they are." Ashei persisted. "By the way, have you seen Link anywhere?"

"He's arm wrestling those men over there!" Mizu pointed towards a large crowd of men huddled over a table. She could barely see Link's favorite green cap over the audience. "You need to talk to him?"

"Hmm? Oh, uh...actually I don't remember. Heh." She laughed to herself slightly. Mizu took advantage of that. "So, can you tell us about him?"

"_What_ about him?"

"Like, does he have a girlfriend?" Mizu was a few years too young for Link, but that mattered little as Ashei immediately pointed out. "As a matter of fact he does. She's just...not here at the moment."

"Oh, drat!" Mizu pouted. "Are you sure that still counts? My mother said that cultures can have some strange customs. Could I...I mean...could _someone_ possibly become his _second_ girlfriend?"

"Nothing _that _strange. What was your mother referring to when she said that?"

"It was a couple years ago when she was talking with Master Gilbert about helping the buko out. They have this really funny thing they do whe-"

"Wait a moment. Is your mother Lady Sil?"

"Uh-huh."

"Never would have guessed. She doesn't seem to talk much." Ashei remarked. Thankfully Mizu didn't take what she said the wrong way. "Anyway, our culture doesn't have anything like 'second girlfriends.'"

"Darnit!" Mizu whined again. Then her friends murmured amongst each other briefly and her hopes rose again. "Do you think Link would dance with us at least?"

Ashei covered her eyes with her hands and sighed, unable to believe she was being asked such a silly question. Still, she thought she might as well have some fun with the situation. "I think so, however you'll really have to plead to him. He won't give in easy, but if you persist, he'll have no choice but to say yes."

Mizu and the others squealed and hurried over towards Link. Ashei couldn't help but have a chuckle at what she saw next. All five girls tugged him away from the table and pestered him about dancing. It was all going well until one of them pointed towards Ashei, no doubt telling him what she had said. He looked towards her, a little stunned. She, on the other hand, couldn't think to do anything other than wave girlishly at him. Why she let herself do that, she couldn't fathom. It seemed that in her excitement, she'd temporarily lost her mind.

To Mizu's pleasure, Link _did_ finally give in, and moved towards the circle where the others were dancing. Ashei watched as Link struggled to learn the new steps. It was a hilarious sight. No matter how many times he tripped over something or stepped on Mizu's feet, the young girl was too enthralled with the young hylian to care. It felt like the dance was short, and as soon as he left the circle, another of Mizu's friends took him back in. Ashei thought that she could watch this for hours.

She wouldn't have a chance, as a foreign finger tapped on her shoulder. She turned to see a young man, slightly younger than herself, and only slightly nervous. "Pardon me milady, but shall I have the pleasure?"

A little shocked herself, Ashei looked around just to make sure she wasn't mistaken. She considered saying 'no,' since she wasn't wearing a dress like most of the girls, but was feeling rather pleasant and generous. She smiled politely and agreed. "I suppose so, but you'll have to teach me the dance."

She offered her right hand, as she suspected was traditional here, which he accepted. "Of course, milady."

"Just 'Ashei' is fine." She corrected him, still feeling a bit too young to be called 'milady.' Once they stepped into the dancing circle, the young man, who quickly introduced himself as Sain, placed his right hand on her hip and led her through the steps of the dance.

The dance was a bit quicker than Ashei had anticipated, but she was able to stay light on her feet, and soon found herself enjoying it quite well. As she finally got the hang of it, she was able to begin small-talk with Sain. He talked about himself, explaining how he was a leather-maker from the city, and how he found Ashei's ears quite attractive. Ashei found it ironic, thinking back to the 'date' she had with Luc Ergizt, and how he reeled back the moment he realized she was hylian. Still, she appreciated Sain's gesture, and thanked him properly.

Once the song was over, Sain bowed respectfully before leaving the circle. Before she could do the same, another young man approached her; a real confident boy by the name of Ross. She chose to accept once more. In the corner of her eye, she saw Link being persuaded to dance with another one of Mizu's friends as well. It got another laugh out of Ashei, which caught his attention. It seemed this was the first time Link realized his friend was on the dance floor, which amused him as well.

"I suppose that's payback for what you did to me." He remarked when they found themselves next to each other.

"At least I don't have to lead." She retorted.

The next dance began, and both of Link's and Ashei's partners seemed interested in besting the other couple, which the two friends again found comical. Ross would try to give Ashei moments to show off, which she never did. Link's partner would sloppily try to lead Link into letting her do so as well, which he could never follow. Though amusing for the two hylians, the dance turned out to be rather frustrating to the two humans, and once it was over, they were quick to leave.

"I noticed Lissa giving you some nasty looks." Link commented. Ashei replied, "And that kid Ross tried to do the same to you, but they all came out funny."

The pair then noticed more newcomers commence to enter the circle, no doubt wanting to ask them for another dance. It was Link who came up with an idea to escape this 'nightmare.' He quickly turned to Ashei and asked her instead. "Shall I have the pleasure?"

Ashei was fast to recognize his plan, and accepted his hand, immediately detracting the others approaching.

"Just know that if you step on my feet, I'll return the favor, yeah?"

"_Yeah_." Link responded mockingly. The dance soon began, this time a much slower piece, which suited Ashei just fine. Link was first to begin the small talk. "Zelda has been conferring with Auru the whole time."

"Really? Guess I shouldn't be too surprised." Slowly, they danced further away from the side where their admirers were standing. "Is that how Auru was able to get the gate open?"

"Yeah, actually. Apparently Zelda appeared before the gatekeeper and asked him to open it, which I thought was risking the possibility of her being discovered by the enemy and then directly link the renegades with Hyrule."

"..._Sure_." Ashei didn't know exactly why he thought that, but indulged him anyway. "She must of had a plan to prevent that from happening, yeah?"

"Yeah...again." Link barely evaded stepping on Ashei's foot, and recovered. "Well, sort of. I think she was just really confident he'd do it."

"Why's that?"

"She was kinda vague, but I think she _seduced _him."

"Are you serious?!" Ashei could barely control her laughter. Link replied calmly. "I think so."

"Well, with magic like hers, she could have just threatened him really seriously. She has that stare she can give that will freeze people in their tracks. But I like your version better."

The two stealthily reached the other end of the dance circle. Link immediately stopped, bowed sarcastically, and led Ashei out of sight from the rest of the ensemble. They quickly found themselves near the food court, where lots of street vendors offered free food. Though the two no longer needed to stick together, they both became quite interested in testing the exotic food. Ashei quickly sampled a variety of fruits while Link tested the roasted octorock.

"You know," Ashei murmured in between mouthfuls. "I'm really glad we got to come to Silidan. I really like their culture...outside the more egregious aspects, of course."

"It is pretty nice." Link moved away from the meat, finding the flavor too powerful. He next tried a fried fish of some sort. "Next time, we should share some of our culture with them."

"That sounds good." Ashei tested some silidian wine, and found it very much to her liking. "If I only had some fresh ingredients from the Hyrule Market, I could make one of my specialties."

"You have specialties?"

"Of course: 'Goat Cheese Pasta,' 'Smoked Hylian Pike,' 'Beef Stew Surprise'."

"'Beef Stew _Surprise_'?" Link gave her a sideways glance. She just went with it. "I couldn't think of a better name for it. Wouldn't really be my special dish if I just called it 'Beef Stew,' yeah?"

"Certainly, you could do with a better name for it than that. Should I ever get a chance to try it, I'll help think of a better name for it."

"Why, thank you! You have my _undying_ gratitude, oh hero!" She spoke with grandiose. "Thou shalt save my dish from obscurity with thy cunning repertoire of 'name-giving!' Truly, the land shall remember thy name for all eternity!"

"Your sarcasm knows no bounds."

"Oh, it does! I just keep pushing them back."

Ashei took a taste of a foreign-looking piece of meat. "Mmm! This is good. What is this made of?"

The vendor politely explained. "Fried takkuri."

"Link, you've got to try this!" She immediately tested the various herbs and spices on it to see which she preferred most. Link came up to try the meat as well. "_Very_ good. Definitely need to take some of this home with us."

"Absolutely."

Having found their new favorite dish, they grabbed as much as they could carry on their plates and moved to sit down at a nearby table. As luck would have it, they ran into Lord Aric, grabbing a bite of octorock. He was quite anxious to speak with them.

"Ah, my hylian friends! I have a request for you, Link, if you will permit me to ask."

"You don't need to ask me if you can ask a specific question." Link found such a request peculiar.

"Might you assist us in our next siege against House Adia?"

"Er, why do you need me specifically?"

"The short of it is that we are going to be manipulating Kredo Ergizt, and we'll need someone he hates in order for the plan to work."

"That must be a _really_ elaborate plan." Link commented. "Unfortunately, I need to work towards saving the spirits of Silidan."

"I might actually be able to help in his stead." Ashei interceded. "Unless Link needs me to help him again."

"That's okay. I already talked to Rusl about going with me. We think it will be good for him."

"You think you can help with Sir Ergizt, Ashei?" Lord Aric inquired.

"I...may have killed his son in pre-emptive self-defense."

Lord Aric looked to Link, who nodded in acknowledgement. "I'd trust her with it. She's as capable as I am."

The noble turned back towards Ashei. "Very well. Tomorrow we will discuss the plan. Just know that you'll be on the move much sooner than the rest of us. So, enjoy yourself while you still can."

As he left, he took a plate of food with him leaving the two hylians by themselves once again. Link continued munching on his food, while Ashei watched him. When he realized what she was doing he gave her a concerned look. She noticed and spoke her mind. "Thanks for your vote of confidence."

"It was nothing." Link attempted to play down his role, but Ashei persisted. "No, that meant a lot actually. I've been competing with you somewhat ever since you defeated Ganondorf. Kinda feel like I've been in your shadow the entire time."

Link saw in her eyes that she really meant it. He reassured her that he meant what he said. "Ashei, I wasn't exactly by myself when I was dealing with the Shadow Invasion. I've always expressed that I've never really been alone in my journey's before. And aside from Midna, I don't think any single person has ever been able to help me as much as you have."

The smile on Ashei's face widened, even some redness came to her cheeks. It didn't last long, though, as it all slowly faded away. She even turned away slightly as began to eat the food on her plate. Link found it rather odd. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Of course not. It isn't you, I just... I just realized something and I need some time to think it over." Link still thought she was acting peculiar, but before he could think about it too much, he spotted Mizu and her friends in the corner of his eye. They were looking for him. He wanted to stay with Ashei, but he remembered his conversations earlier that day with Mandrakos. Since Ashei seemed to not want anymore questions, he decided to leave her be.

"If you're sure, Ashei, I'll leave you to your thinking. I believe I need to disappear again."

She was still turned away, but she did nod in acknowledgement. The man took to his leave, ducking down as not to be so easily seen by the group of young girls. Ashei just sighed heavily, sauntering to a booth at the end. The man monitoring it saw her approach and with a smile on his face, he asked nicely, "What will you have?"

"Whatever is your hardest liquor."


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

They were completely surrounded.

Six different lynels galloped around the wagon over and over again, as was their way before closing in. At that point, they would kidnap the people and horses for food, then take whatever valuables they saw fit. They were a fearful sight, inhabiting the body of a horse, with the torso of a man, and a head of a lion. They roared with each circling of the wagon, causing the passengers to shiver in fear.

The human woman had hoped that her party of armed mercenaries would be enough to hold off these aggressive beasts, but lynels are clever, and they lured them into a trap far away, leaving the primary party completely unarmed and unprepared for such an attack.

She quickly scrounged through all her belongings, searching for something sharp that could end her suffering before it began, but she couldn't find anything. She swore to herself, wishing she at least carried a knife on her person, but it was all in vain. She would just have to accept her fate as meat for the lynels.

Finally, one broke from the circle and approached her. Placing its weapons at its side, the red-tinted beast attempted to pry her out of her seat. Her instincts to survive kicked in and she struggled to break free. Despite the odds being firmly against her, she shoved the monstrosity away, and shouted in as firm a voice as she could muster, "Don't touch me!"

The lynel couldn't hear her, not just because they did not speak the common tongue, but because an arrow had immediately pierced its forehead, killing it instantly. The thought that her entourage had returned to rescue her brought a surge of hope as she quickly turned to see where the shot had come from. To her dismay, there were only two riders coming to her rescue, far too small to deal with the powerful lynels. Still, she silently prayed to the goddesses that these fine men would dispatch her attackers.

With the death of one of their kin, the lynels had also turned to meet the newcomers. Another arrow soared through the sky, but it was blocked by the shield of the blue-skinned leader. With a roar, three of his guards charged at the interlopers.

"What's happening missus Saffir?" The voice of her servant, a buko whom had buried her head into the contents of the wagon, brought the woman's attention away from the ensuing battle. She responded swiftly so that she could watch again. "Our escort has returned! We might be saved!"

As she finished speaking, two of the red-skinned beasts attacked the younger lad clothed in green. The young man knocked one to the ground with his shield while thrusting his sword into the chest of the other. He continued to race his horse to reach her wagon, most likely to ensure that the last two would not drive her away should the clash fall out of their favor. The second man, and older gentleman, dealt with a blue-skinned lynel. Their swords clanged together several times before the man was able to lop off the head of the creature. He then turned to defeat the straggler left by the young man.

Seeing as their frontline soldiers were defeated, the last of the red-tinted lynels prepared a spell. With the wave of its arms, it tossed a large fireball into the direction of the young man. To the woman's surprise, the young man did not stop his charge. He merely turned slightly to his left side and raised his shield. The fireball contacted with the shield only to be reflected back towards the lynel that cast it. Unable to cope with such an unexpected maneuver, the lynel could not react in time to move out of the way, and was burnt by its own spell.

The last lynel, recognizing that the battle was lost, turned to run off, but was also intercepted by an adversary unseen by Saffir. A large wolf leapt towards the beast, latched its jaws around its neck and pulled it to the ground. After lurching its head side to side a couple of times, the canine let go of the monster and returned to its masters.

The woman swept the sweat from her forehead away, grateful for the rescue. She returned to the front of the wagon so that she could properly address those whom had saved her. The older man, who was only slightly older than herself, was the first to approach. "Is everything alright? Have you been hurt?"

"Oh, my! No! Just incredibly frightened." The gentleman explained the circumstances of the rescue. "Did you come by way of House Adia? My friend and I were only thirty minutes behind by way of Broadstead. We saw a troop of soldiers slaughtered just two miles back, killed by other creatures of the same sort. We figured you might be in danger as well."

"And right you were! My stars, if you and your friend had been any later we would have been taken away! You must tell me your names so that I might thank you prop-" The young man had suddenly appeared behind the older one; only the young man wasn't _human_. He had long ears, which made him a hylian. It was such an unexpected sight, she completely lost her train of thought.

"My name is Rusl," The elder was able to pick up where she left off. "And this is my friend, Link."

The hylian he referred to as 'Link' removed his green cap and bowed his head respectfully. Saffir was still too stunned to properly accept his gesture, but he didn't seem to mind. Once she had recovered her senses she asked a question regarding him. "Your friend...'Link' you said?...is he your slave?"

The questioned seemed to offend the man, as his demeanor almost darkened instantly, but before he could respond, the hylian put a hand on his shoulder, and responded for him. "No, I'm just his friend. We're both from Hyrule, where humans and hylians and several other races have learned to live together in peace."

"That right?" She exclaimed. _Probably means that Rusl is _his_ slave,_ she thought to herself. _You can't fool me_. "Well, please forgive my assumption. And goodness! Where are my own manners! My name is Saffir."

Immediately the buko popped her head from behind the wagon cover, speaking directly to Saffir. "Missus, I fixed up the goods."

"Thank you kindly." She allowed her servant to take the reigns of their horses. "Well gentlemen, I appreciate your assistance, but I must be headin' off."

"If you wouldn't mind," Rusl interjected. "Since we're both going along this road, I suspect you'll be stopping at Craterville. We are as well. Perhaps we can stay with you in the event that another attack may occur? I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you if we could assist in preventing it."

"Oh, of course! I should have considered that as well. My mind is just so..._scrambled_ since I thought I was as good as dead. Yes, I'd love to have your company until we reach Craterville."

_Just as long as you keep that long-eared freak away from me._

* * *

Night was approaching, and the wagon had just reached the base of the mountain path that lead to Craterville. Link dropped off of Epona and tied her to a nearby boulder, making sure not to tie her too tightly. He approached Rusl, who was still on his mount just ahead of the wagon. "It's pretty chilly tonight. I'm going to get some firewood."

"Sounds good." Rusl replied as he trotted on, but when Link stayed at his side he recognized he was missing something. Link continued, "For the sake of safety, I'd prefer if you handed me your sword."

Though he knew the reason why, Rusl was unsure if it was the wiser option. "Suppose we're attacked while you're gone?"

"The trees are not that far from here, and I'll be leaving Harmless with you. He'll detect any trespassers and alert me with a howl if necessary."

Rusl finally agreed, handing over his weapon slightly disheartened. At that moment, Link hurried off towards the trees.

Saffir watched the whole transaction, which seemingly confirmed her suspicions about the relation of the two. She barely suppressed a snarl as the young man passed by her wagon, her only rationale being how undignified it would have been to do so. Were she in possession of a weapon she would've killed Link when he'd rushed by.

Rusl had already dismounted at that time, and came around to Saffir's side of the wagon in order to assist her down as well. Still able to be a gentleman at this time, he did his best to hide his current distaste for the woman.

"Would you mind walkin' with me for a while?" She asked him. "All that ridin' has made me feel as though my legs haven't been used in ages."

Rusl nodded as they walked about the perimeter of their encampment. "So long as we don't take too long. I'd like to help Buri set up once she's done with your horses."

Saffir giggled, recognizing Rusl's natural affinity for slave work. "Oh, don't you worry yourself over that. Buri is used to working alone."

Rusl sighed, recognizing Saffir's natural affinity as a slave owner. Still, he didn't feel that he was the best person to be spouting on the morality after all he's gone through. The two just strolled about silently for about a minute before Saffir finally brought up what was on her mind. "So how did you two meet?"

"How did I meet Link?" He ask for clarity. She nodded, so he explained. "The mayor of our town found him abandoned on the road between Ordon and Kakariko; those are some villages up in Hyrule. Anyway, we all kind of took care of him while he was growing up, and he kind of grew attached to me for awhile. You could say he saw me as an older brother. I taught him how to fish, hunt and fight."

"Everybody took a shinin' to that little boy?" Saffir inquired earnestly. "Why'd he pick you?"

Rusl shrugged his shoulders. "It just kind of happened. And since Ul-...my wife thought it was a good idea for him to stick around I just went with it. But I wasn't the only one. He also 'took a shining' towards the mayor's daughter."

"Did he ever have trouble gettin' over the fact that you were a..." She let her sentence trail, hoping he would say 'slave'. He did not. "Human? Not at all. We all were in that village. In fact he was the only one that wasn't."

"What?" Too surprised to even hide her shock, Saffir was unable to feign tolerance. "Why would your entire village treat him as an equal?"

Another sigh exited his mouth before he replied as calmly as he could muster. "Probably because he _is_ an equal. If anything he's better than myself."

"Oh, but that's what they _want_ you to think!" She stopped dead in her tracks to face him directly. "Don't you know that they have and always _will_ think they're better than us?! That's never changed! It's never changed and it never will! How could you just stand there and let him control you like he has?!"

"How many hylians have you met before?"

"What?" She lost her train of thought again.

"How many hylians have you _met_ before now?"

"Well...what has that got to do with anything?!"

"Everything!" Rusl finally exploded in anger. "I've met hundreds of them! And not a single one of them thought as lowly of humans as you've made them out to be! You're living in a lie that you can't even imagine being false!"

Saffir tried her best to regain her footing, but found it rather difficult. "Well, how d'you know they're not just bein' nice around you?"

"If they were as arrogant as you thought, why would they concern themselves with the likes of me? But here's a better question: why would Link bother to save you if he thought so little of you?"

"Well _you_ saved me too! You must've convinced him to do so for my sake."

"I wasn't the one who picked up on your trail after running into your ambushed guards. _He_ was!"

Another moment of silence as Saffir tried to find some ground. She couldn't believe that this man was lying to save face for his hylian master. Unable to respond, she marched back towards her wagon, completely flustered and upset.

_I don't understand why you're doin' this, Rusl, _she continued her conversation in her head,_ but I'll be sure to free you from his hold over you. Just you wait. The night is still young._

* * *

By the time the moon had reached the top of the sky, both the hylian and his human friend were asleep. Saffir didn't bother to wonder why neither were standing guard. She just took this as the opportunity she'd been waiting for. Slowly, she stood up from her bedroll and crept over towards the hylian. His sword was lying next to him, sheathed and within arms grasp. As quietly as she could, she picked up the weapon. It was quite a bit heavier than she had anticipated, but she was able to pick up the whole thing without too much difficulty.

_This is it_, she told herself. _All I have to do is kill him, and Rusl will be free. He might not realize that I'm doing him a favor, but I'm sure he'll learn that I did the right thing. These hylians aren't like us. They never will be. They can't possibly think of us so importantly as he claims. He'll realize that I'm right, and he'll thank me for this once he does. They just aren't like us. Not like _us.

She pulled the sword out from its sheath, and listened as the blade slid across its metal armor. She immediately froze, seeing Link stir at the sound, but it turned out that he was still asleep. With a sigh of relief, the woman placed the scabbard down on the dirt. Tightening the grip of her hands on the hilt, she heaved it up and down a couple of times to better feel the weight and balance. She couldn't help but notice that the hylian was still stirring, as though he were having a nightmare. She did her best to ignore it as she raised the blade over her head for the final time.

Then Link cried out in his sleep. "Ilia. Ilia!"

It was not heard by the others, it was only loud enough for Saffir to hear, and it chilled her. Not just the tone, which was wrought with pain, but the twisted look on his face, and the beads of sweat forming on his brow. _Who's Ilia_, she thought. _His wife? Betrothed? Wait, didn't Rusl say that he fancied the mayor's daughter? And isn't the entire village h-...Oh, my goodness!_

She stumbled backwards, but caught herself once she dropped the sword. It didn't hit the earth as she thought it would. The large wolf, seeming to appear from nowhere, had leapt towards her, catching the blade in its jaws. It turned to look at her briefly, and Saffir could have sworn it peered into her soul, but it soon went back to its master, placing the blade next to him. It then did the same with the scabbard, setting it right next to the blade.

Though seeing the wolf so abruptly distracted her, she was fast to recall her sudden realization, and it shook her to her core. _This can't be right! How could a hylian care for a human in such a way?! Th-This can't be right! Things must have changed since then!__ He must have found some hylian girl later in his life! Certainly, it's reasonable to think that, right?! It's reasonable to think things have changed..._

She didn't want to admit it, and did her best not to even think of the real reason she felt guilty. Anything that could make her feel justified kept running through her mind, but it all came back to what she almost did, which scared her. Saffir couldn't believe that she had so suddenly turned into a monster, and found it impossible for herself to deny it.

Finally, she fell to the ground, and pulled herself into a fetal position. Buri, whom was much closer than the others, had finally awoken to the sound of everything that had transpired. She swiftly rushed to her master's aid, placing a blanket over her shoulders. "What's wrong, missus?"

Saffir couldn't bring herself to look into her eyes. In a hushed tone, she asked. "I'm a horrible person, aren't I?"

Buri wasn't sure how to answer. "No, missus, you-"

"Tell me truthfully, Buri. I'm a horrible person, aren't I?"

"Well..." She paused to think of a tactful answer. "You could do a lot worse..."

"I sure don't feel like I could. I kept thinkin' so terribly of that nice young man that I almost...almost..." She felt herself on the verge of crying, but did her best to hold back the tears. "How could I even think to do such a thing? I've never raised my hand against someone before, haven't I?"

"No, missus. I ain't never seen you hurt nobody even when you was a child." Her servant spoke truthfully.

"Then what changed?! Why would I want to harm a hylian that rescued me?"

Buri didn't know the answer, so she remained silent while doing her best to comfort her lady. Saffir continued to sit there, trying to comprehend her actions. Eventually, she grew too tired to think, and fell asleep. Buri helped her back onto her bedroll before returning to her own.

The dream Saffir had that night only made her feel worse.

* * *

When the rays of the sun shined brightly on the campers, it first awoke Saffir. She took this as an opportunity to fix her relation to her two guards and, once she'd awaken her servant, had Buri cook some breakfast for them. The smell of sizzling meat eventually woke the other two, who were quite befuddled at the sight. Saffir just looked at them both and smiled, quite sincerely this time. "Good mornin', you two! I hope you two enjoy eggs and bacon, 'cuz that's what's been made!"

Rusl was baffled the most, switching stares between Link and Saffir. It was far too difficult for him to believe that she was being genuine. He leaned over towards Link and whispered, "Did she get a look at the Mirror Shield last night?"

Link glanced over his gear to be certain. His shield was still packed away and covered next to his saddle. His sword on the other hand was out of its sheath lying next to him. Unable to devise why it was out, he just quietly put it away while shaking his head to Rusl's question.

"Listen, Saffir." Rusl began. "We don't want your fake hospit-"

"Oh, I know I was quite rude last night...among other things...but I'm being honest right now. I did this as a sort of formal apology."

"You mean you had your _slave_ do it." Rusl remarked, still with a hint of hostility.

"I do declare, Rusl, that I'm tryin' real hard to make it up to you _and _Link." She turned to face Link instead. "I don't know if he told you, but I said some mighty unkind things about you last night, and I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for all of it. I've never met a hylian before and doin' so seemed to have brought out the worst of me."

"I understand." Link said knowingly while picking up a plate of food. "A lot of people we've met had the same problem. Can I ask what made you change your mind?"

Her expression darkened at his request. "I...find it difficult to do so. Perhaps later while we're on the road. You could also tell me more about what y'all are gonna do once we reach Craterville."

"Sounds fair." Link said with a smile, taking a bite from the eggs. Saffir sat down next to Buri taking her own plate of food. The woman smiled at everyone once more before digging in. She noticed that Rusl hadn't accepted her food yet and was staring at her. She knew he still didn't trust her, but chose to do nothing about it for now. If he wasn't going to forgive and forget last night, she would just have to prove her sincerity when they arrived at Craterville.

Saffir was fairly positive that the others didn't know what was happening over there at that moment.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

The double doors crashed open, and the light of the morning shone into the halls of the grand keep. Lord Seric Adia waited patiently as the next person seeking audience approached him. He saw that there were two people: a man and a woman. The man was behind the woman, pushing her forward. The woman looked like her hands were tied, and annoyed at the whole scene. Finally, the two stood before the house lord, and the man bowed on one knee.

"My lord," the man spoke. "I've returned from House Widzan bearing gifts."

Since the man kept his face hidden, Adia found it difficult to discern the person at first, but he recognized that voice very well, and knew his loyalty was without question. "Rise, Kredo Ergizt, and tell me what this is you've brought me."

The man reached towards the woman's head, pulling her flowing hair back to reveal the long, pointed ears of a hylian. Several people observing the scene gasped in surprise. Lord Adia gazed at the woman trying to gain a reading of her. She had a look of resentment, and appeared as if she were trying to restrain herself from breaking her bonds. He could hardly doubt her ability to do it. She intrigued him. "Where did you find her?"

"As much as I would like to take credit for 'finding her', it would be more accurate to say that she found me. She was working with the renegades, and they ambushed me just outside of House Widzan's castle. It seemed they knew of our proposed alliance and had somehow taken control of the keep the day before."

"Renegades capturing castles...it seems the rumors are true. And they are working with this hylian? Were there any others like her?"

"Not at the meeting, but I recognized her from the tournament several weeks back. She had companions there. It is not far-fetched to think that she is not alone."

"I see." Before Lord Adia could ask a second question, he heard the hushed, firm voice of the wizzrobe behind his throne. "We must inform the Emperor. Learn everything you can, then send a messenger with an escort to the Diamond. He will be pleased to learn of this."

"Yes..." The house lord turned back to his servant. "Tell us everything that happened. What did they plan to do with you?"

"Yes, my lord." Kredo took a deep breath before expositing the situation. "The renegades knew they could not breach the walls, which they believed left them the only option of going through the gate. But they were also aware of the magical trap on the other side, and would not risk sending their army in. They wanted me to get this one, and another man inside and obtain audience with you, my lord. They would present to you a mysterious creature they called an 'oocca.'"

Adia halted him as he listened to his advisor explain what an oocca was. He glanced back at Kredo, "They planned to bring in an oocca so that other troops could immediately appear, seize the throne room and kill my advisor to disable the trap, correct?"

"Yes, my lord."

"How were the commandos to know when to appear?"

"I..." Kredo turned to the hylian. Lord Adia nodded to his captain-of-the-guard to approach her. He drew his sword and held it to her throat. He spoke quickly and forcefully. "Tell us!"

The hylian woman rolled her eyes, but chose to respond. "The oocca had a necklace around its neck. The gem on it was supposed to give those with the proper lens the ability to see through it. They would watch until they saw us enter the throne room, and then they'd attack."

"A 'Seeing Gem.'" Adia mused. He motioned for his captain to sheath his sword before continuing. "Where is the oocca now, and the other person that came in with her?"

"My lord, I failed you greatly in this endeavor. I was only able to overpower the hylian once inside the castle walls. When my fellow guards came to aid me, the other man ran off, and the oocca flew away."

Another whisper from the advisor. "Ooccas are not the most agile fliers. It couldn't have flown far, if at all. Get a description of the man and commence a search."

"I agree." The man on the throne again faced his dishonored knight. "What did this man look like?"

"He was a tall man, dressed in Widzan colors. He had no hair on his head, and green eyes. He seemed a bit uneasy about their mission; perhaps even frightened. It would explain why he ran at the first sign of trouble."

"Very well. So long as both the renegade and the oocca are inside the castle, we must be vigilant. I want guards to search the keep first, and once they are done, move to the town. Also have the guards out front commence tightened security orders. We will be on high alert until both intruders are apprehended."

The lord motioned for his captain-of-the-guard again, who bowed before starting the search. Adia returned his attention back to Kredo, who remained on his knee. "My lord, what are we to do with this hylian?"

Lord Adia thought it over, but the wizzrobe had more advise to dispense. "The Emperor would appreciate the hylian as a gift. It would be wisest to send her to the Diamond with the messengers."

Now the house lord objected to the suggestion. "No, the hylian bitch was taken in my castle by my knight."

"Your lordship, it would be wise-"

"You forget that _I _am the lord, here. Not you!" He turned back to Kredo one last time. "She will be dealt with in the town square where everyone will see human superiority, _after_ the oocca has been captured. If you do find the other conspirator, just kill him on the spot. For now, just put the hylian in a prison cell."

"My lord. I respectfully ask for immediate punishment for her. As she made it quite clear while we were traveling, she was the one that killed my son in Denalet."

"Oh?" He took another glance at her, who made no attempts to deny his accusations. "Very well. You are permitted two strikes against her."

"Thank you, my lord." Kredo stood back up, pulled off his leather gloves and punched her as hard as he could across her face; then once more in the gut. She hardly even groaned. In fact she let a smug smile cross her face. "I expected more from the runner-up in the tournament. But I suppose the fact that you lost to another hylian is explanation enough, yeah?"

Kredo was about to strike her again, but he knew that his lord would disapprove. He simply turned back to his lord and bowed. "I'll escort her to her cell, now."

The lord waved him away, and Kredo forcefully shoved the hylian all the way down to the lower levels of the keep. Kredo was feeling pretty good about himself, despite Ashei's attempts to insult him. Afterall, he did get the jump on her, wrestled her to the ground, and won. Why shouldn't he feel good about himself? "You're lucky, long-eared whore, that your true punishment has been postponed until we find that miserable creature."

"Oh, I'm quite aware of how lucky I am. If you tried to kill me before, the commandos would have shown up while everyone was distracted, open up the gates, disarm the trap and let the entire resistance inside. I'm _really_ lucky. If anything, _you're_ lucky that you caught me with my guard down. If we were fighting on even ground, I would have beaten you easily."

"I highly doubt that you are as good as your friend, and even he couldn't defeat me."

"You seem to have forgotten how that fight went. You forfeited to save your ugly face. Besides, I've already come up with a way to beat your kusarigama with my own style of fighting, and it wouldn't take me more than...ten seconds."

Kredo halted her right there. He took her jaw in his hand and turned her face towards his and spoke through gritted teeth. "You can't fool me, long-ears! If you were as good as you said, you wouldn't have let your guard down in the first place. You are a pitiful excuse for a warrior, and if all hylians are as pathetic as you, I pity your entire race."

He let go of her and shoved her further down the stairs. She didn't let him get to her. Just as she was thrust into her personal cell, she retorted once more. "I honestly can't take silidian arrogance seriously. What makes you so confident you _will_ even find the oocca?"

Kredo stared at Ashei intently as the door to her cell shut with a loud clang. A sinister smile streaked his face as he responded. "It doesn't matter whether or not the pest is found. You'll receive your punishment within the dungeon if it takes too long, and I'll be there for every second, savoring each scream of pain you'll inevitably utter."

He strutted off with a maniacal laugh. Ashei rolled her eyes again before examining her cell. A broken iron ring used to tie people up was on the far wall. The hylian placed her hands in front of it and began to scrape her leather bonds against it. A voice on the opposite side of the prison yelled out to her. "That won't do you any good! They'll just bind your hands through the bars with chains when they come to take you away!"

Ashei didn't bother to look at her heckler. "Fine with me, but I like my hands free."

"Ha!" The other prisoner cackled. "I'm sure when they've trained you proper, your hands will be free to do _many _things!"

She chose not to encourage his sexist remarks and ignored him. _Note to self: Leave the ass in his cell when the raiding party arrives._

Eventually the leather bonds snapped, and the woman began to caress her wrists. They were sore, but not particularly painful. Kredo was sure to make the bonds as tight as possible. The man did surprise her, though: he hit her harder than she thought he was capable of. She shouldn't of expected less since she was responsible for Luc's death.

Ashei sat down in the corner of her cell, waiting for the message she was supposed to receive. It only took a couple minutes before a mystical light began to form in front of her. Slowly an image appeared in the light; the image of Queen Zelda. The two met eyes and the regal ruler spoke. "Is it safe for you to talk?"

"Quietly." Ashei responded slightly louder than a whisper. Zelda nodded before continuing. "Auru has informed me that Cranis has already begun watching for any messengers sent to the Diamond. Did Mandrakos' illusion work on him?"

"Perfectly. They still think he's an oocca and that he's somewhere in the town. Mandrakos' own disguise was effective as well. It's unlikely he'll be recognized even if they do find him."

"This is good." Zelda mused. "And have they decided your fate?"

"They're waiting until they find Cranis, but Kredo implied that he would try to hasten my 'punishment'."

"Excellent news. Korgmaw's commandos have also found the sewer passage and it is just the right size. When do you think the castle will be most vulnerable?"

"Anytime tomorrow, probably. If you can speak to Mandrakos, I'd wager he could lead the guards on a wild chase out in the town just to be sure."

"I will do that, once I have recovered. These projections exhaust me greatly."

"I understand." The two nodded to each other and Zelda faded away.

With nothing else to look forward to for another day, Ashei began her daily exercises; the first one being sit-ups. She sorely wished their was a stick or a broken piece of wood in her cell. Despite her taunts at Kredo, she hadn't quite perfected her technique that would defeat him. She was still confident that her skills would prevail, but she hadn't had a chance to practice since being in Kredo's company. She wouldn't dare give him the slightest chance of figuring out her trap if she could help it.

Ashei finished her sit-ups and switched to push-ups. She then began to run chess strategies through her head. Keeping a sharp mind as well as strong body was all part of her new training regime. She agreed with Shad that she would play black next time they had a game, which would be a first for her. She had no clue what Shad's favored openings as white were, but for her first mental challenge, she assumed he'd begin with e4. She had previously considered going with the Silianic Defense with Dragon Variation, but felt that would be too telling of her. She instead based her game using the Halekine's Defense with Chase Variation. Since Shad liked to reserve his queen, she continued the game assuming he'd spend more time developing his knights and bishops.

With her push-ups done, she proceeded to side straddle hops, and continued her game. She soon recognized how difficult it was for her to maintain a strong defense against attacks towards f7. To her, it was far easier to develop strategies of attack than defense, but she would adapt to every possible assault she could contemplate. It was a truly difficult task.

Ashei halted her exercises for a moment. She hadn't realized how hot and humid it was until that moment, and it was making her sweat profusely. She pulled off her tunic, tossing it into a corner. Her arms were aching, telling her it was time to stretch. As the hylian warrior did so, the prisoner opposite of her spoke up again. "Well, I didn't think I would get a show in here!"

Ashei continued to ignore him while making sure her back was turned to him. Her small clothes did not cover her mid-riff, so she refused to accommodate the prisoner. It didn't stop him from trying to insult her. "Oh! You don't have to be shy _now_! It's not like _they_ won't see everything! Show some kindness towards your better and finish the job!"

The man was annoying her to no end. She finally decided to deal with the problem directly. "Why? Have you never seen a woman's body before? Or is it perhaps that you're an invalid? You can only watch, but never act, yeah?"

The man's rage immediately became present. "You spiteful bitch! If I were one of the guards I'd take you right now!"

"Sounds like someone has a _short_ temper...among other things."

"I am a man of _exceptional _girth, whore! Women all throughout Silidan have told me such!"

"Oh, is that why you're here? You force yourself onto women because none would have you?"

The man became engulfed in fury. He pulled on the bars, stomped his feet, and yelled as though he were a mad dog. "DO NOT MOCK ME, YOU SLUT!"

As the man raved on, Ashei had to chuckle over how easily she manipulated him. It was so funny to her that she was almost laughing as hard as he was screaming. Then she suddenly stopped as an epiphany came to her. As she recalled everything the man had said to her, a pattern took place.

It became clear to her that the man she had mocked was incredibly ill; more so than most in Silidan. Despite that Ashei believed she had guessed his crime correctly, she thought that it was probably an inadequate summation. The criminal despised women more than anything else yet couldn't stop lusting after them. It made so much and so little sense that it was baffling her.

But what baffled her the most, however, was that she actually pitied the man.

As it stood, there was nothing she could do about him. She silently prayed to the goddesses that he might have a chance to be freed from his psychopathic tendencies. Then she proceeded to finish her exercises. She recalled that she still had some squats to do, and Shad had a knight to trade. _Bishop captures Knight at Queen's Bishop Three; Wait, no. Make that _Knight c_aptures Knight at Queen's Bishop Three__. He'll then use his Pawn to capture the Knight. That will allow me to bring back my Bishop to King Seven..._

**AN: The chess strategies are based off of real strategies, but some have had their names changed in anagram form because they refer to the real world (IE: 'Sicilian' references Sicily, so it became 'Silianic').**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

"Hey, whore!" Someone was banging on the bars trying to get Ashei's attention. "Wake up, whore!"

The hylian still felt a little drowsy, since it was incredibly difficult to fall asleep the night before. Her neighboring cellmate had made sure of that by being as loud as he could the entire time. Since she was now awake, she could only assume that she did in fact sleep at some point. She had no clue what time it was, but she figured that the guards had woken her so that she could receive her morning meal. To her disappointment, the only person around was the deranged prisoner; no guards at all.

Ashei also noticed a loaf of stale bread on the ground in front of her. She was about to pick it up, until she noticed that there were tiny maggot-like bugs crawling inside of it. As she recoiled from it, her prison-mate started cackling crazily. Her annoyance with his display only made him giddier. When he finally calmed down, she asked, "How long ago was this given to me?"

"Four hours, and in case you were wondering, the guard _didn't_ bother to try and wake you."

"That's okay." She kicked the bread through the bars towards his cell. "I'm not that hungry."

"Well if you change your mind, I've got something that you can s-"

"Enough with your thinly-veiled innuendos, yeah?" Ashei began her morning exercises. "There's nothing you can say that will get a rise from me."

"Nothing at all? Is it perhaps because you're a...deviant?" He kept fishing for anything that would get a reaction. "The touch of a man not enough for you?"

"Do you really think using the same tactic I used against you will work on me?" She retorted while rolling her eyes. "I suppose you have no joy in life other than to make women feel miserable, and considering your record with me, you must do a poor job of it."

The man's eyes flared momentarily, but he regained control before the hylian could notice. After about a minute of silence, he decided to test a different approach. When he spoke next, his voice had suddenly shifted to one of suave sophistication. "So what's your story?"

Ashei had to freeze in place when she heard that. "What?"

"How'd you end up here? The guards don't like talking to me, so I'd like to know how a _beautiful _and _intelligent _hylian woman such as yourself could have ever been placed in a silidian prison."

The woman was astonished to hear these words coming from him. It started to remind her of her 'date' with Luc, but in reverse. Whereas the young man started trying to woo her and ended up despising her with a ferocity, this man started in the opposite manner. Since the man was at least attempting to be civil, and since she already knew who he actually was, she figured she might as well indulge him...for a price.

"Tell you what. I'll tell you only _after_ you tell me yours, and _only_ if you tell the truth."

"What makes you so confident that you would recognize truth from a lie?" He remarked, though not as snidely as he would have previously done.

"I'll also tell you that after you tell me your story. Surely you've got nothing to lose."

"You're right. I don't." He began to pace across the cell as he started telling his tale.

"You were partially correct as to my imprisonment here. Oh, I never forced myself on a woman in my entire life, they _all_ enjoyed my company. But it was my insatiable desire that brought me to this place. What happened was that I had the misfortune of getting to know the house lord's own wife. His guards discovered us in my bed, pulled her off of me and sent me directly here without a trial."

He stopped pacing at that moment. "There. Quite a simple story. Now if you expect to claim that this is a lie simply because the house lord's wife came to me, I can only tell you what she told me: that her husband was a brute and didn't truly love her. I only tried to give her the feeling that a true man would give her. That is absolutely true."

"This may surprise you, but I actually believe that." She said with a knowing smile indicating that she'd caught him. "My father was an expert at catching my lies, and the simple fact was that they were always so absurd that they couldn't possibly be true. The best of lies always had some truth to them, and your lie was one of the best."

She stepped up the bars and looked straight into his eyes. "But what you didn't realize is that when that guard was telling you to shut up last night, he called you 'Sero.' And thanks to a friend of mine, I know that that is the name of Lord Seric Adia's brother."

His face seemed to have twisted into a mix of fear and anger at her deduction. Ashei continued, "I wager you _did_ get to know your brother's wife very well, but that can't be all. You were changed by that experience somehow. Something different happened that caused you to despise women, and I think that it didn't end the way you claim. I think you _did_ force yourself onto her, whether you were aware of it or not. You _wanted_ there to be a rift between the two of them so that you could find a reason to legitimize your actions."

"That just goes to show how wrong you are!" He spat out hatefully. "Her husband _didn't_ care for her, and he _was_ a brute! I couldn't even count how many times I'd hear them arguing at night! How it always ended the same with him hitting her! How she'd run out! _Everyone_ in the castle knew it happened! I _only_ tried to give her the feeling that a true man _would_ give her, and do you know what she did?! She immediately ran back to her husband and told him how I _forced _myself onto her!"

His eye contact did not waver. "That woman chose her slaver over me!"

Ashei had to admit, she did not expect this ending, but she could tell he was telling the truth this time. She stepped away from the bars, finally withdrawing her attacks against him. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, your father must be proud that your lies are still so flimsy and weak!" He kept pressing on, doing his absolute best to hurt her. "You don't feel sorry for me! You're like every other woman who pretends to be more than what you really are! A _real_ woman knows her place! A _real_ woman wouldn't pretend to be stronger than her better!"

Sero noticed that Ashei seemed to be staring blankly, as if not paying attention. He couldn't tell what she was doing, but she seemed focused on something else. Then all of a sudden, she looked back at him. "So one woman betrays your trust and now you know everything about all women, yeah? Tell me then, if I were to suddenly break out of here, and decided to let you off as well, would you refuse just because I'm not a 'real' woman and couldn't be trusted?"

"You're _not_ going to break out."

"But if I were?"

"You're not."

"Answer the damn question."

Sero groaned while rolling his eyes. "Yes, I would _still_ refuse because you'd only be trying to win my confidence. You're probably thinking of several different ways to kill me if such an event were to occur. But like I said, it w-"

A sudden clatter was heard deeper into the dungeon, halting his speech. He wasn't aware of any guards deeper down at this time, which made him particularly curious to what was going on. He leaned as far forward as he could to look down the hall, but saw nothing. The mild tapping faintly grew louder. Whatever it was, it was trying to make as little noise as possible. Something about it made Sero nervous, while Ashei seemed relieved by it.

Though the sound was still mild at best, it felt incredibly close to Sero, yet he still couldn't see anything. "Where is that sound coming from?"

"Try looking up." Ashei suggested bluntly. He complied, and finally saw them. Several small, green-skinned creatures were climbing along the ceiling. He'd never seen anything like them, and was frozen in horror. As one dropped down between the two cells, he stumbled backwards in fear. The creature turned to Ashei, pulled out a pair of tools and began to pick at her lock. After only a couple seconds, the lock broke and her door swung wide open. As the hylian stepped out, another one handed her back her two swords. "Thanks."

She turned to face Sero once more, who stared back at her in confusion. "Open his cell as well."

The leader looked up to her for a moment, before silently accepting the task given. Just as before, his cell was opened in just a few seconds. The man was still too stunned to move, or even react. Ashei tried to gain his attention. "This is your chance. I'm offering you your freedom."

"H-...how did you know they were coming?"

"By my same friend that told me who you were. They're called bulblins, by the way. Anyway, you can leave if you want."

"And what do you expect in return?"

"Only that you don't interfere with my business here."

"And what else?"

Ashe sighed once more. "You just don't get it, yeah? I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself; to prove that you aren't a complete ass. When this is over, you'll be able to start your life again."

"Hah!" The man started to cackle again, as loud as possible. One of the bulblins was about to silence him, but Ashei stopped it, waiting patiently for the crazed man to finish. "Oh, you would _like _me to think that, wouldn't you? But you still can't fool me, woman! You can't fool your better! I know that you're still as spiteful and as conniving as any other bitch! You think th-"

"Fine, shut his cell, and don't open it again!" Ashei refused to waste anymore time with his nonsense. She slowly walked up the staircase with the bulblin operatives. The man kept rambling as she did so.

"You won't ever change! You _can't_ ever change!"

* * *

Ashei pulled out her long blade, wielding it with both hands. Just as she made it to the top of the stairs, she brought the blade down onto a prison guard before he could even stand from his chair. The second one tried to let out a yell, but she cut him off with an even heavier blow. From their, she knew that they would be required to go through the left corridor, up another set of stairs and they would be in the throne room. Behind the throne room was the wizzrobe's personal quarters where he kept the magical trap at the front gate active.

Ashei did her best to remain as quiet as possible as she stealthily snuck through the hallway with her bulblin companions. At the end, she spotted two more soldiers guarding the staircase. She motioned for the bulblins to come and take care of them silently. Without hesitation, they pulled on their bowstrings and let loose a volley of arrows at the two of them. Both went down with a heavy clang, and the sound of concerned voices were heard from above. Ashei rushed to the underside of the stairs, waiting to see if any would come down to check. Sure enough, three guards dropped down to see the commotion. One was blasted with arrows while another was slashed away. The final one shouted as loud as he could. "INTRUDERS!"

Ashei finally knocked him down and stabbed him in the chest. She turned to her allies with haste. "We've lost the element of surprise. We'll just have to charge through and try to kill the wizzrobe right now!"

The bulblins screeched in joy, as they followed Ashei up the final case of stairs to the throne room. They appeared at the far end of the massive hall. Waiting for them were a dozen soldiers, each armed and prepared for the raiders. Ashei led the charge, finally drawing her shortsword. Two guards thrust their spears at her. She deflected them to the side while cutting at their midsections. The bulblins behind her launched another hail of arrows, knocking three more out. Four other guards circled around Ashei in order to attack the bulblins directly. They were able to dispatch six of them before Ashei was able to reposition herself between them. Eight of the bulblins pulled out their melee weapons and began charging, while the last four kept their distance and fired arrows.

Ashei fought in a frenzy to defeat the guards assaulting her companions, but she was unable to prevent the last three from coming up and surrounding them all. The hylian pressed out of the circle, and charged every single soldier in her path. There was an intense look in her eyes that made each guard in her path lose focus and begin to fear her. This allowed Ashei to defeat them all without any difficulty. Once they were all slain, she looked over the numbers of the bulblins. Only five remained. They needed to hurry, but the number of her allies had dropped too much. "Regroup with Mandrakos and prepare to open the main gate."

The bulblins departed as per her instructions. As Ashei approached the end of the grand room, the throne was empty. She did, however, notice a shadow lying behind it, which she expected to be Kredo Ergizt. She sheathed her shortsword again, preparing her longsword for the battle to come. When she stood before the throne, she sliced it in half with her blade. The warrior rolled out of the way, but quickly stood up and begun spinning his chain overhead. He gazed into her eyes with a similar intensity as herself. "Here's your chance, bitch! Show me what a long-eared woman is capable of!"

Ashei didn't respond, she just watched the chain spin over and over again. Finally, she cut at the length with her sword. It did not break; instead it wrapped around her weapon several times. A sly smile crossed Kredo's face as he yanked the chain back to him as hard as he could. As the blade flew in the air, Ashei knelt down, drew her second blade and tossed it directly at Kredo. The human saw the sword coming, but couldn't react in time. The foot-and-a-half of steel sunk deep into his chest, piercing his heart and knocking him to the ground.

Ashei advanced to her defeated foe, looking intently at him. She yanked the blade out of him and listened to him cry out. Just before she brought it back down again, she leaned towards his ear and whispered. "You never stood a chance against me."

Her long blade was still stuck in the kusarigama chain. As she pulled it out, she noticed that it was severely dented, and would not work as a viable dueling blade without some time in the forge. Still, she kept it with her, just in case it came in handy.

All that was left was the wizzrobe. She'd never encountered one before, but from what Lord Aric had said of the previous two, they were a true force to be reckoned with. She opened the door behind the throne room cautiously, waiting to see if the creature was aware of her presence. To her dismay, it appeared that the room was empty, though it was very dark. All she could see was a shelf full of tomes in the back, and a large crystal object sitting in the middle. As she made it all the way inside, the door behind her slammed shut, and a dark, menacing laugh echoed through the chamber. Ashei prepped her blades in a defensive stance. Her eyes darted from side to side, trying to discern where the monster was hiding. She thought that taunting him might do the trick. "Afraid to face a hylian woman?!"

That laughter returned even louder just as a puff of smoke exploded in front of her. As it cleared, the wizzrobe stood in the center of the room. Hiding in his cloak, the disfigured man spoke calmly. "_Afraid_? Why would I be afraid of someone like _you_? I have at my side powers beyond yo-"

He paused briefly as Ashei charged him, trying to cut through his body. Instead, he went corporeal, and the hylian ran through without leaving a mark. "Powers _far_ beyond what you are capable of. My master, the abomination Searinox, has granted me and my fellow wizzrobes dark magics that pales the magic of your goddesses."

"Really? I knew a guy who would disagree with you on that. And if this is all you have, then he'd have blasted you away as if you were nothing." Ashei charged again, this time stopping in front of him so that she could strike precisely with both blades. Unfortunately, he disappeared altogether, teleporting directly behind her.

"Searinox has the power to bring down the goddesses. Why else would they not destroy him? It's because they can't. They _can't_ defeat that which is greater than themselves. And now that he is on the rise, he will prove it by rending Hyrule asunder once more. You have no chance of stopping it. It would be wisest for you to give up now, while you can."

"Never!" Ashei slashed at him a third time, but just as before, he teleported away. Now the wizzrobe was mocking her. "Three strikes, and none of them have hit! Are you going to try a fourth time? A fifth? Will you continue to blindly strike at me until I'm done toying with you and have you incinerated? That would be interesting to watch. I could wait until you tire yourself to the point where you can't defend. How does that sound to you?"

Ashei knew he was trying to rile her up, which at the moment was not hard for him to do, but that last remark made her stop. She realized that she was not thinking through this whole ordeal clearly. Ever since Sero refused her help in such a boastful, idiotic method, she'd been feeling the anger rise up inside. Her mind kept telling her that she was right to be angry, but she refused to let herself go like Rusl had. She refused to let her emotions control her again. This was her stand.

"So your will is stronger than most? Then waiting won't do any good. How about this!" The wizzrobe raised his arms, forming a giant fireball. He then hurled it at his target, but Ashei leapt away. She taunted him again for good measure. "Some power, yeah?! I'm over here you fool!"

The wizzrobe seemed a bit annoyed by this and prepared to attack her again in the same manner. Ashei dodged the second just as easily. As she did so, an idea formed in her head. Perhaps she could manipulate the wizzrobe in her own way. As she stood up, she jeered him again. "By the goddesses! Your aim is worse than a one-eyed goriya!"

It became visually apparent that the wizzrobe was irritated by her quips. He fired off another blast for good measure, but it missed just the same. Ashei jibed him once more, using his own words against him. "Three strikes, and none of them have hit! Looks like I'm not the one who has issues of control!"

"Very well!" The wizzrobe spat. "Then I will let someone else do my fighting for me!"

He began to conjure something massive in the middle of the room. "Come to me, vire and acheman!"

After another cloud of purple smoke covered the room, a pair of horrid creatures appeared. One was blue and looked like a large bat with four eyes. The other was red, and took the form of a skeletal biped dog; also with bat wings. Immediately after they appeared, the blue one leapt forward to pounce Ashei. The hylian barely had enough time to stumble out of its way, but the creature was so agile, that it immediately turned to face her again and jump once more. This time, she was forced to the ground, her blades knocked from her grasp at the blow. The beast tried to pin her down for its friend to fry with its own fire, but she struggled fiercely. She quickly got her right hand free and grabbed her long blade.

She thrust it into the blue monster, and it disappeared. As Ashei worked her way to her feet, she realized that the beast was not completely gone. A pair of red keese bats took its place, except these bats were incredibly fast, and smaller than normal. They would zip by her, making rather large cuts with their claws. She tried to concentrate on them, but that was when the skeletal dog would attack. It had a fiery breath that set the entire room aglow. She was able to dodge it by rolling underneath, but that only made her more vulnerable to the bats.

She remained on the ground for a bit until she was able to get her hands on her shortsword. Just as she did, she tossed it at the larger monster, impaling it on its head. Just as the first one, it too vanished, and in its place, a single blue bat appeared. This one was just as fast as the others, but instead of making small slashes at her, it intended to clamp its jaws around her. It appeared to aim for her neck, which it missed when she dodged. Instead, it latched onto her left arm. Rapidly, it began to drain the blood, making her lose strength.

Ashei became dangerously aware of how little time she had. She took her bent longsword and pried the blue bat off of her. Having consumed quite a lot of her blood, it fell to the ground rather plump. She stomped on it as hard as she could with her boot, smashing it very noisily. As for the red keese, she developed a new tactic by pulling off her blouse and using as a makeshift net. As one approached her, she wrapped her garment around it, making it impossible for it to fly. She followed that up by slamming it on the ground as hard as she could. It too became a bloody mess.

After defeating the last red keese in a similar fashion, Ashei searched the room for the wizzrobe. It was huddled in a corner, trying to avoid her sight. After picking up her shortsword, she approached it weakly. The adrenaline had run out and she felt drained from the loss of blood. Still, she was strong enough to confront the cowering monstrosity of a man.

"No!" It cried out as she approached. "It can't be! You shouldn't have survived! How could I have failed my master?!"

Ashei didn't bother to answer. She merely plunged her blade into the wizzrobe. Just as it faded from existence, she fell over and collapsed.


End file.
